Canadian Rural Youth and Role Tension of the Police: 'It's Hard in a Small Town'. (December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ricciardelli, Rosemary; Adorjan, Michael; Spencer, Dale
• Is Part Of: Youth justice. Volume 20:Number 3(2020)
• Page Start: 199
• Page End: 214
• Publication Date: 2020-12
• Subjects: focus groups -- perceptions of police -- policing -- rural -- youth; Juvenile justice, Administration of -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Youth -- Legal status, laws, etc -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Juvenile corrections -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 364.360941
• DOI: 10.1177/1473225419872406
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1473-2254

Abstract

This article presents findings from a case study examining youth perceptions of the police in rural areas of Eastern Canada. A total of 20 semistructured focus group discussions were conducted with 60 youth from Canadian rural Atlantic areas, who were purposively recruited, with groups stratified by age and gender. Discussions centered on role tension regarding the police's role, that is, along a continuum between law enforcement and public protection versus community policing and crime prevention. Our discussions highlight the arguably ironic view that it is harder to maintain trust when there are strong personal relations with the police. Discussions highlight the 'pros and cons' of informal familiarity with police officers, especially the presence of school resource officers and policing in the context of monitoring youth on modes of transportation germane to rural Atlantic Canada (i.e. skidoos). Implications from this study suggest that when dealing with youth, identifying and addressing youth perceptions of the police role can help improve police–youth interactions.