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Controlling Suburban and Small-Town Hoods

An Examination of Police Encounters With Juveniles

University of North Texas

We currently lack systematic observational data concerning street-level interactions between police and juveniles in nonurban jurisdictions. This study uses systematic social observation (SSO) methods to examine the nature and character of police encounters with juveniles age 13 to 17 years in 20 suburban and small-town jurisdictions in terms of (a) the types of problems nonurban officers confronted while interacting with juveniles, (b) the actions taken by officers to resolve these problems, and (c) the discretionary decision making of officers in arrest situations involving juveniles. The findings suggest similarities and differences between nonurban officers and previously studied urban officers in terms of how they interact with juveniles. A discussion regarding how these findings may be interpreted is offered, highlighting the general need for more research concerning street-level interactions between police and juveniles, and the importance of including samples of nonurban communities in studies of police–juvenile encounters.

Key Words: nonurban policing • policing juveniles • observational studies of police

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