Police Discretion

There is much debate on police authority concerning juvenile offenders in comparison with adult offenders. Police are often referred to as "the gatekeepers ." In the case of juveniles, the role of the police officer is important because a young person 's attitudes and views of law enforcement are shaped upon their first encounter with law enforcement, dependent on the outcome of the encounter. In fact, the police begin the criminal justice process within the decision making process of discretion about how to handle a case with juvenile involvement. Our text states that "Most youths appear to have positive attitude toward the police," however, "juveniles who have not had contact with the police are more positive than those who have had police

Discretion is defined as the authority to make a decision of policy and practice while having the choice between two or more possible means of handling a situation. It refers to the authority granted to a police officer that allows him to decide how best to deal with a certain situation. In policing, this includes the decision at times of when, where, how, and what laws to enforce. Every police officer has a great deal of discretion concerning when to use their authority, power, persuasion, or force. Depending on how an officer sees their duty to society will determine an officer’s discretion. By exercising discretion, a police officer can keep juveniles out of the criminal justice system or intentionally involve them in it, by implementing various methods. Two major aspects of policing are the factors that influence police discretion and the ways in which police process juveniles who come to their

Our text states that juveniles are protected from unreasonable searches and seizures and must be presented with a valid search warrant unless they have either waived that right, have consented to having their person or property searched, or have been caught in the act. If these conditions have not been met, the courts will overturn rulings against the juvenile. The text gives the example of a police stop; a police officer has the right to stop a youth on the street and ask questions, but the juvenile is not lawfully obligated to stop or answer any of the officers questions if they do not want to answer, and may leave if they