This is the fourth in the Northern Police Research Webinar Series for Autumn 2024.

‘Sheriff syndrome’: Exploring young adults’ experiences of policing in Northern Ireland

Presenter: Brendan Coyle

This paper delves into the pivotal role that police encounters play in shaping the experiences of 18- to 25-year-olds who come into contact with the criminal justice system. The study is anchored in an analysis of in-depth narrative interviews with young adults, predominantly young men, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Their accounts unveil the latent risks of police approaches that may pivot on the ‘age and/or lack of maturity’ of young adults.

Introducing the concept of ‘sheriff syndrome’, the research sheds light on the detrimental effects of entrenched, antecedent expectations regarding the behaviours, attitudes and (in)capacity for change of those over the age of 18 years. Participants’ accounts underscore the need for interactions that recognise and protect subjective elements of maturity, while cultivating opportunities for open, respectful and bidirectional communication between suspect populations of young adults and the police.

Dr Brendan Coyle is a Lecturer in Criminology, and Course Director of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Ulster University, Belfast. With specialisms in young adult development, maturation and desistance, Brendan’s research addresses the interface between individuals’ constructions of maturity, criminal justice policies and practices, and processes of desistance from crime.

Brendan is currently involved in a range of projects relating to the impact and effectiveness of sports-based interventions on the health, wellbeing and identities of young people in relatively marginalised and deprived settings. These projects have involved engagement with a range of statutory and community sector stakeholders, including but not limited to: the NI Department for Communities and Department of Justice; the Police Service of Northern Ireland; and the Irish Football Association.