NCJ Number
238374
Date Published
2011
Length
76 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of a study that examined the role that demographic factors play in shaping young people's attitudes towards the police in Australia.
Abstract
Major findings from the study include the following: young men of African descent reported experiencing more difficulty with police, were more likely to feel disrespected, and more likely to have experienced some form of inappropriate treatment by police than youths of other ethnicities; African-born males were more likely to have received a summons or infringement and were more likely to be charged with a minor offense, compared to Australian-born males; young men of African descent were more likely to experience negative behavior as a result of their encounters with the police, with almost half of them (46.7 percent) believing that they were stopped by the police due to their race; youth of African descent were more likely to worry about being stopped on the street by police and about being treated tougher than other youth compared to Australian born youth; and regardless of race or gender, a majority of the youth agreed either somewhat or strongly that police actions towards youth are influenced by a person's race or religion. This report presents the results of a study on the role that demographic factors play in shaping young people's attitudes towards police in Australia. Data for the study were obtained from a survey of young people (n=151) aged 15-24 that asked questions about the young person's experiences with the police. The findings indicate that race and gender both play a significant role in how a young person in Australia is treated by the police. A set of recommendations for policymakers and police agencies are discussed that address the need to improve police treatment of young person's from other ethnic groups. Tables, graphs, bibliography, and appendixes