The Police and Young People in Australia

Book excerpt: The relationship between the police and young people in Australia is a topic of growing concern in Australian society. While people are concerned about juvenile crime, worries have also been expressed about police harassment and violence directed at young people. This book, first published in 1994, provides a sustained analysis of police-youth relations, offering new insights into how young people are policed. Some specific areas addressed include: the legal framework of police-youth interaction in Australia; the rights of young people; the policing of Aboriginal youth; the relationship between the police and young women; and ethnic and community policing, and likely future directions in policy. Written by a team of the leading people in the field this book makes an important contribution to debate on a critical issue. The Police and Young People in Australia shows the implications that contemporary police methods and practices have on the exercise of basic legal rights in Australian society.