Most police academies, like the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority police, devote less than 1% of training with adolescents. Without proper knowledge, …show more content…
“Most studies indicate that prevalence of offending peaks in the teenage years (15-19) and then declines in the early 20’s. Impulsive behavior declines with age from 10 to 30 years old, and the preference for risk peaks in mid-adolescence at 16-17 years old.” ("The Effects of Adolescent Development on Policing." (n.d.): n. Pag. IACPBriefEffectsofAdolescentDevelopmentonPolicing. International Association of Chiefs of Police, 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.) In other words, the brain development hasn’t fully …show more content…
This leads to risky and dangerous behavior in the adolescent brain, involving their susceptibility to peer influence and inability to grasp the potential negative consequences. However, “When this development proceeds normally, we get better at balancing impulse, desire, goals, self-interest, rules, ethics, and even altruism, generating behavior that is more complex and, sometimes at least, more sensible.” (Dobbs, David. "National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com." National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com. National Geographic Magazine, Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.) This allows an officer to protect certain factors for the youth, like their family connectedness and parental presence, their GPA and high expectations for school performance, a feeling of safety in an environment, religiosity, and most importantly, their positive relationship and engagement with law enforcement. Although influencing youth behavior has many sections, there are only two integral factors. The demographic factor, which lowers the socioeconomic status, victimization, exposure to violence, and truancy of an adolescent, can have an acute impact on interactions with teen. In spite of the characteristics, the demographic factors emphasizes sensitivity to generational and cultural differences. Nonetheless, there are still many strategies to approach the adolescent brain while avoiding negative impact in the demographic