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Police-youth relationships: a qualitative analysis of Flemish adolescents' attitudes toward the police

Journal Contribution - Journal Article

This article reports on focus group interview-based research conducted to improve knowledge of European adolescents' Attitudes Toward the Police (ATP). The study explores Flemish Belgian youths' perceptions of three main aspects of policing (performance, procedural justice and distributive justice) and how much importance they attach to those perceptions. The 106 13-19 year olds who participated in 12 focus group interviews proved to have nuanced and mature conceptions of police work. They stated that proclaiming a negative ATP is 'part of the deal' of being young rather than a reflection of negative perceptions of police functioning. This study shows the importance of complementing the largely survey-based research on adolescents' ATP with qualitative research. © The Author(s) 2012.
Journal: European Journal of Criminology
ISSN: 1477-3708
Issue: 2
Volume: 9
Pages: 191 - 205
Publication year:2012
BOF-keylabel:yes
IOF-keylabel:yes
BOF-publication weight:1
CSS-citation score:1
Authors from:Higher Education
Accessibility:Closed