European youth gang policy in comparative context

Fraser, A. , Ralphs, R. and Smithson, H. (2018) European youth gang policy in comparative context. Children and Society, 32(2), pp. 156-165. (doi: 10.1111/chso.12265)

Abstract

The past decade has seen increased reports of street gangs across a range of contexts. In Europe, anxieties over street-based youth has led to the development of gang-specific policies across a range of jurisdictions, most notably the UK. Following a similar pattern of policy mobility in criminal justice, many of these policies have origins in the US system. In this review of international gang policy developments, we critically examine a number of these policies in a comparative context - including gang policing units and intelligence databases - and interrogate their efficacy. Drawing on cogent examples from the UK, we argue for caution in adopting US gang intervention tactics due to the lack of empirical evidence relating to their applicability or efficacy, and the corresponding potential for discrimination toward the most marginalised and socially excluded children and young people in society.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Fraser, Professor Alistair
• Authors: Fraser, A., Ralphs, R., and Smithson, H.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Sociology Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences
• Journal Name: Children and Society
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 0951-0605
• ISSN (Online): 1099-0860
• Published Online: 05 February 2018
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and National Children’s Bureau
• First Published: First published in Children and Society 32(2):156-165
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher