No abstract

In 1970, Donald Black and Albert J. Reiss, Jr. presented a series of eight propositions which they suggested provided the beginning of an empirical por trait of the policing of juveniles. The present study replicates their research, based upon comparative data separated by four years and many miles. Exten sive support for their earlier conclusions is reported, but a number of sub- propositions, clarifications, and extensions are also advanced. Several of the theoretical and empirical implications of these findings are then considered.

0Scholars agree that a preoccupation of police is the maintenance of their authority during encounters with civilians. n e r e is little knowledge of how they seek to do this. Using a subset of process data from a large. quantitative, observationalfield study of police. the authors analyze it from the perspective of general systems theory. They find that authority is maintained in most cases by much moresubtle means than past studies have idenifid.

No abstract