In felony cases involving juveniles,the police officer must personally observe the crime to place a suspect in custody or have probable cause to believe that a crime took place and that the juvenile did it.
Most juvenile laws provide broad authority for the police to take juveniles into custody,which implies a protective rather than punitive form of custody.
The validity of juvenile waiver of rights depends on the age of the youth,education,their knowledge of the charges,the method of interrogation,and whether the youth was allowed to consult their family.
In a classic 1963 study,Nathan Goldman examined the arrest records of more than a thousand juveniles from four communities in Pennsylvania and concluded that the majority of the police contacts with juveniles were handled informally.
In deciding what to do with a juvenile offender,police officers may be influenced by their perception of community alternatives to police intervention.
Research indicates that a police officer is much more likely to take formal action if the crime is serious,if it has been reported by a respectable member of the community,and if the offender is well known to them.