NCJ Number
162904
Journal
Focus on Police Research and Development Issue: 7 Dated: (March 1996) Pages: 20-21
Date Published
1996
Length
2 pages
Annotation
Research initiated in April 1994 by the Staffordshire Police for the Great Britain Home Office Police Research Group focused on truancy in the United Kingdom, with emphasis on the development of a multiagency definition of the term, determination of the role of the police, identification of good practice in partnership approaches, and recommendations on strategic approaches.
Abstract
Information was collected by means of surveys of all police agencies and local education agencies in England, Wales, and Scotland, as well as a questionnaire and case study analysis of the truanting behavior of more than 1,100 youths. Results revealed differing behaviors among youths from a college and employed background compared to those who were juvenile offenders. Findings also indicated that the majority of crime is committed by a small number of juvenile recidivists and that it is inappropriate to assume that all truants commit crime. However, truants can be drawn into crime by their peers; truants are also vulnerable to pedophiles and others. Findings indicated the need for partnerships involving the police, caring agencies, and local communities, as well as for information exchange and structured evaluation. Figures and photographs