Gender Differences in Police-Juvenile Relations

• In Event: Police Interactions with Special Populations

Abstract

This study will examine gender differences in police behaviors in police-juvenile encounters. This research will be based on the Project on Policing Neighborhoods (POPN) data, 1996-1997. This research will analyze two sets of police encounters with juveniles. The first set of police encounters with juveniles in this research would be encounters with individuals under age 18 who are suspected of crimes, and the analysis of the second set of encounters with juveniles would be with those who are treated as victims. This research will test hypotheses about the impact of officers' gender on behavioral outcomes in these settings and analyze how female officers use their feminine traits compared to male officers in handling juveniles by using quantitative data. Implications for policy and research will be discussed.

Author

• Haemi Won, University at Albany, SUNY