Date of Award
5-2016
Degree Type
Research Paper
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Community Development and Planning (CDP)
Department
International Development, Community and Environment
Chief Instructor
Laurie Ross
Second Reader
Ellen Foley
Abstract
Youth, particularly young men of color, exist in a vulnerable position in relation to law-enforcement in the Worcester community. Poor relationships between youth and police officers have an impact on the quality of their interactions, and contribute to the disproportionate number of young people arrested as a result of police contact. There were 313 incidents analyzed from the 2014 Worcester Police reports of juvenile arrests in order to better understand the quality and outcomes of the interactions. The data indicates that youths’ negative perceptions of officers’ procedural justice affects the demeanor of the youth towards the officer. Additionally, the demeanor of the youth affects the officers’ arrest decisions. It is found that the result of these two interrelated phenomenons is the incurrence of public order charges, which can be better understood as crimes of order against the police. Interventions such as police training should work to increase developmental competence in order to disrupt the cycle of escalation that drives the high level of ‘low-level’ crime in Worcester.
Recommended Citation
Friga, Madeleine R., "Shifting the Understanding of Youth Public Order Crime: An Opportunity for Diversion" (2016). Sustainability and Social Justice. 55.
https://commons.clarku.edu/idce_masters_papers/55
Worcester
Yes
