History of Juvenile Justice

While on routine patrol for the Any Town Police Department you notice a group of what appears be three underage male teenage kids and one female teen standing alongside the outside wall of a local convenience store in a poorly lit area. Since it is 1 AM in the morning on a Thursday night, which is in violation of your city ordinance regarding curfew, you decide to investigate. When you turn into the driveway of the convenience store your patrol car headlights illuminate the group of three teens and you notice a cigarette in the hand of the lone female of the group and it appears to you that two of the males are holding beer cans. After asking for identification, you began your investigation and realize that several decisions will have to be made regarding the underage youth:

• In a list you make in your report specifically identify the status offense laws that are being violated by each of the underage teenage violators.

• Identify how you are going to process at the scene each of the underage teenage kid violators, then explain in detail why you made your decision to handle the status offense in that specific manner.

• Describe how you would handle any of the teenage status offense violators who is being uncooperative at the scene. How would this affect your decision on how to handle this status offense case?

• If you have one or more uncooperative parent who refuses to come to the scene and pick up their child would this affect your decision on how you handle the case, and if so what would you then do with the child?