Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Major/Program
Public Affairs
First Advisor's Name
Sukumar Ganapati
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
Hai (David) Guo
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Third Advisor's Name
Susannah Bruns Ali
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Fourth Advisor's Name
Tim Goddard
Fourth Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Keywords
Police Youth Organizations, Typology, Qualitative Research, Florida, Institutional Isomorphism, Social Capital, Case Study, Officers, Youth, Mentorship, Gun Violence
Date of Defense
3-20-2023
Abstract
Police youth organizations are intervention programs by police officers whereby they establish a personalized relationship with at-risk youth. This dissertation analyzes them to understand their administrative structures, officers’ mentoring approach, and how they impact mentees’ academic, behavior, and social skills.
The study draws on the institutional isomorphism theory at the organizational level and social capital theory at the individual level. Isomorphism theory implies that organizations result in similar structures (due to coercive, mimetic, and normative reasons); it offers insights into administrative structures of successful at-risk youth programs. The social capital theory explains how trust is embedded in social networks and norms; it provides insights into the mentor-mentee relationships for successful at-risk youth programs.
I use a qualitative approach for this research. First, I used a grounded exploratory method to inductively identify the organizational structures of police youth programs in Florida. This fills a research gap on the programs’ administration, financing, and mentoring activities. Second, I conducted an in-depth case study of one representative successful at-risk youth program (in Miami-Dade County). The case study consists of semi-structured interviews with program leaders and mentors (i.e., police officers) and mentees (i.e., at-risk youth), participant observation of board meetings and community events, and review of secondary data.
The findings reveal three types of administrative structures of programs: non-profit (loosely connected with the police department), quasi-voluntary (with police volunteers), and departmental (housed in police departments). Good mentors stimulate the mentees by expanding the social milieu of the youth beyond their usual environment and exposing them to new opportunities. Mentees cherish their relationships with mentors and often improve their academic, behavioral, and social skills to different degrees. The dissertation contributes to public administration and criminal justice literature by providing insights into police youth organizations’ structures and mentor-mentee relationships.
Identifier
FIDC011000
ORCID
0000-0003-4857-4209
Recommended Citation
Estorcien, Vernise, "Determinants Of Successful Intervention With Police Youth Organizations" (2023). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5323.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5323
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Criminology Commons, Public Administration Commons, Public Affairs Commons, Public Policy Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Social Justice Commons
Rights Statement
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
