Science tells us that young people’s brains are not fully developed until their mid-20’s.  Youth don’t process information the way adults do, they’re wired to take risks, and they often lack the ability to control their impulses.  Although the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts have recognized the need for the law to treat youth differently than adults, very few police agencies have written guidelines or policies to govern police/youth interactions.   

Please join us for a provocative session focusing on current research and survey results about police-youth engagement and discuss 12 Model Law Enforcement Policies for Youth Interaction, released this fall by Strategies for Youth (SFY). Joining us will be the report’s co-authors, Lisa Thurau, SFY’s Executive Director, and Shelley Jackson, SFY Law Enforcement Policies Attorney. 

Lisa and Shelley will explain the impetus for developing the policies, which are based on research, litigation, and the increasing array of laws being enacted to change law enforcement treatment of youth.  They will explain how offices of public safety, POST commissions, municipal insurance pools and law enforcement leaders can benefit from the adoption of such policies. SFY’s presentation will also address policies and training requirements for officers’ interactions with youth arising out of recent USDOJ consent decrees.