The position of young people in community safety: a search for possible explanations

Abstract

In the rhetoric and practice of community safety a paradox can be identified: despite the rhetoric of inclusivity and active citizenship, it appears that the views and interests of youth are largely ignored. Young people appear largely as a source of danger and fear of crime, leading to policy measures aimed at controlling and containing youth. There are four possible reasons for this: crime victim survey characteristics; a lack of political interest; youth as the inverse of the ‘ideal victim’; and young people as social scapegoats.

Citation

Cops, D. (2009), "The position of young people in community safety: a search for possible explanations", Safer Communities, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 14-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/17578043200900024