Policing youth: Trends in pedestrian stops for children and adolescents in New York City

• In Event: Misdemeanor Justice Project: A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Low Level Offenses in New York City

Abstract

Pertinent to the increasingly critical discussion on the role of police in enforcing the law and community interaction, there is a pressing need for greater empirical understanding of trends in police practices, as well as an understanding of whom such practices are affecting. Recent research examining police enforcement of low-level offenses finds that young minority men have experienced the greatest amount of variation in enforcement rates over a twelve-year reporting period. In particular, the enforcement rate of Stop, Question, and Frisk activities in certain jurisdictions has fluctuated considerably. While there is a growing understanding of what occurs among the adult population, little is known about the youth experience. The present analyses extend the understanding of police enforcement powers by examining Stop, Question, and Frisk enforcement trends for children and adolescents in New York City. The analyses found that from 2003 to 2014, there were over one million stops among 11 to 18 year olds. Of these, 58 percent led to youth being frisked, while 8.4 percent led to a search. Additionally, 5.6 percent of all stops resulted in arrest; 44 percent of these arrests were of youth aged 16 years and under.

Authors

• Olive Lu, John Jay College of Criminal Justice / CUNY Graduate Center

• Adam Fera, John Jay College of Criminal Justice