Port of Tilbury-Police Constable

[Fedster + 1,307]

Law enforcement needs to recognise offenders under 25 years old may have 'stunted maturation'.

 

The police service needs to rethink its treatment of adults under 26 or risk alienating an entire generation, researchers say.

The Police Foundation has raised concerns the current policing response to young adults is “not suitable” and said a distinct, tailored approach should be developed for policing 18-25 year olds.

Suggestions included new training - particularly in stop and search - for managing young adults, supervising new recruits’ early contact with young adults and extending youth criminal justice diversion schemes.

“Academic research demonstrates significant variation in the development of maturity among young adults aged 18 to 25,” a paper from the organisation says.

“As we gradually develop a more sophisticated understanding of the young adult brain, the criminal justice system must consider how these disparities in development can affect behaviour, and recognise that the current cliff-edge of an 18th birthday is often an arbitrary date that bears little relation to the reality of young adult offenders’ lives.

“In addition, psychological research shows that variation in levels of psychosocial maturity can be hugely significant and thus in some cases an individual aged 24 or 25 may in fact possess a similar psychological maturity to an individual ten years their junior.”

It added criminology research typically demonstrates young adults “grow out” of crime in their mid-20s as they move out of their childhood bedrooms, become parents and start working full time but poor job opportunities and spiralling house prices are delaying the maturation process.

According to the report, the proportion of 20-34 year olds living with their parents reached a record high of 26 per cent in 2017.

“It is increasingly recognised that the factors described above should be taken into consideration when deciding how to police young adults,” the report adds.

“A lack of understanding of the challenges facing this group, and how they may impact on their decision making and behaviour, could lead to a generation who enter adult life with both reduced life chances and negative perceptions of the police – both of which might have implications for future offending.

“The contextual drivers outlined above are unlikely to change dramatically in the coming years, as widespread austerity and cuts to local authority budgets continue. 

"Policing should consider how it can help to address the issue and what a distinct approach to individuals aged 18 to 25 might look like.”

The study points out that 18-25 year olds are not distinguished as a separate age group in police statistics, making it difficult to map trends in offending.

Organisational culture was described as a key barrier to engaging with young adults as officers are reluctant to be seen as “soft” on adult offenders.

“There is a wider question here about how best to influence police culture and inspire a shift in attitudes towards young adults, in a similar manner to the sea change in the police approach to under-18s," the research paper adds. 

Police leaders were criticised for a “general lack of appetite to volunteer to be at the forefront of any genuine change” while a lack of structure among PCCs meant they could not share best practice. 

Researchers also noted a “significant disconnect” between official policy and senior officer statements and “the actual day-to-day practice of police officers”.

The Metropolitan Police’s new Divert scheme offering young adult offenders an alternative pathway from crime by pointing them in the direction of apprenticeships and support programmes, was praised as "one of the best examples of a specifically police-led initiative” for young adults.

Similar initiatives should be introduced across to country and developed with the guidance of the College of Policing, the report said.

The Police Foundation also wants to work closely with six police force areas interesting in trialling a new approach and offers to help formulate implementation plans so it can review point-of-arrest diversion projects and training for officers.

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[a-bothan-spy 81]

More nonsense from armchair experts.

[Hyphen + 693]

This is the most pathetic thing I’ve read. It’s no wonder society is the way is at the moment. 

[Radman + 2,163]

As a society we seem to be obsessed with removing the concept of personal responsibility, extending adolesence and creating a generation that is overly reliant on the state and its services...

The cynic in me suspects this is entirely by design.

[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

What we need is a tailored way of dealing with people of all ages. We need to be able to establish every individual’s emotional age and speed of development. One 57 year old may be emotionally 62 while another may be an immature 53. Physical age just doesn’t provide all the right information.
We could then reinterpret all legislation so ages are a floating concept depending on how the victim/witness/suspect was feeling at the time.
Police officers (and it would have to apply to all other people in the CJS) could then apply any one of about 80 approaches to each person they are dealing with.

[JulietAlpha1 + 515]

What would this look like in practice though? I don’t know how other forces deal with suspects but generally. Arrest - wait in cell - interview - wait in cell some more - charge/release... I don’t really think there is much scope for a tailored approach. We’re governed by legislation that doesn’t provide any leeway for tailoring unless you identify somebody as vulnerable and in need of an appropriate adult. 

[Zulu 22 + 4,574]

Sorry but I have never read so much nonsense in my life.  Are they trying to say that people have never been taught the difference between right and wrong. They are old enough to vote,  old enough to work, and sadly old enough to breed.  You either have respect for the law and others or you do not. Perhaps we should have a psychologist to patrol with us so that we could spend a couple of days deciding   if they were fit enough to be spoken to as adult people. 

Who on earth is daft enough to pay for this research.

[Billy Blue Tac 170]

18 hours ago, Fedster said:

young adults aged 18 to 25

Or more precisely: hypersensitive snowflakes

 

18 hours ago, Fedster said:

maturation

Is it a coinsidence that "maturation" also means the noxious pus in a zit or abscess - or an astute observation by the author?

 

Edited July 30, 2018 by Billy Blue Tac

[Growley + 2,436]

As a society we seem to be obsessed with removing the concept of personal responsibility, extending adolesence and creating a generation that is overly reliant on the state and its services...
The cynic in me suspects this is entirely by design.

This.

It frustrates me to no end that we continually seem to be making excuses for people acting in unacceptable ways.

If you can't do the time...

[IrateShrike + 1,847]

Why don't the millions of 18-25 year olds who manage to conduct themselves properly deserve the same level of investment?

[Billy Blue Tac 170]

18 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said:

Why don't the millions of 18-25 year olds who manage to conduct themselves properly deserve the same level of investment?

Presumably they are too busy being useful and productive members of society to waste their time spouting narcissistic self-entitled nonsense, which is then lapped up and promoted by pseudo intellectuals.

"He who shouts loudest get heard first."

 

 

[mike88 + 257]

A quarter of my shift are 18 to 25 but apparently that age group isn't emotionally mature enough to not be able commit crime without an intervention program to hold their hand in life. What a load of rubbish.