Skip to main content

Must Law Enforcement Officers and Corrections Officers who Work with Juveniles Receive Special Training?

Resources / Report / Must Law Enforcement Officers and Corrections Officers who Work with Juveniles Receive Special Training?

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s web site, the goal of the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants program is to reduce juvenile offending through accountability-based programs focused on juvenile offenders and the juvenile justice system. Under this program, the United States Attorney General is authorized to provide grants to the states for specified purposes that meet this goal. Included among these purposes is: establishing and maintaining training programs for law enforcement and detention and corrections personnel with respect to preventing and controlling juvenile crime. Currently, all states have statutes specifying such specialized training. Three states provide particularly interesting examples of the kinds of specialized training available. For example, in 2010, Indiana established a Law Enforcement, School Policing, and Youth Work Group to study and recommend training curricula to the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy concerning law enforcement officer interactions with juveniles. Such recommended law enforcement training would include de-escalation techniques appropriate for youth; adolescent development and psychology; interacting with children with disabilities and special needs; relationship building; asserting authority; cultural competency; alternatives to referral, arrest, and detention.

Download Publication