Youth Policing in Newfoundland and Labrador

• In Event: Examining the Link between the Age of Officially-Processed Individuals and Criminal Justice Practices

Abstract

Research related to the systematic investigation of youth experiences and police practices in Newfoundland and Labrador have yet to be adequately explored, despite current challenges in policing youth. Recent technological changes will invariably reshape youth criminal behaviour and subsequently their relationships with police institutions and individual officers. In order to enact changes in police practice that will promote integrative community development and youth engagement, knowledge of specific youth needs in the Newfoundland and Labrador context must be addressed. The current project looks to address these limitations by first, understanding police attitudes towards youths in practice. Thus, the current project, as a part of a larger national project partnership between the RCMP and Memorial University of Newfoundland, will look to utilize a number of methodologies to understand this relationship. As a part of this greater project, a survey was administered to RCMP members of Division B, located in Newfoundland and Labrador, to explicate problem areas and other areas of interest in relation to police officer and youth relationships. Newfoundland and Labrador’s rural nature, unique socio-economic history, and increased selective prosperity from its oil-driven economy highlight a need to better understand the challenges impacting youth and police in the province.

Authors

• Rose Ricciardelli, Memorial University of Newfoundland

• Hayley K. Crichton, Memorial University of Newfoundland