Youth–Police Relations in Multi-Ethnic Cities

Young people are exposed to police attention to a higher extent than other age groups. Yet, surprisingly little is known on how the younger generation relates to, views and experiences the police, and the extent to which young people are being targeted by the police based on visible attributes.

The relationship of young people with the police is shaped by the context in which encounters take place and affected by historical developments and national policing strategies. At the same time, in today’s increasingly multi-ethnic cities, youth–police relations face new challenges.
Drawing on an original dataset, the book provides novel evidence on how young people define and experience their relationship with the police in multi-ethnic German and French cities. Through systematic analyses of youth–police encounters and attitudes, it gives in-depth insights on police ethnic profiling practices targeting the younger generation and on key individual and contextual factors that jeopardize positive youth–police relations.