Studying discriminatory practices in youth justice decision-making

Korte inhoud:Discriminatory practices in youth justice decision-making are central in numerous empirical studies. In this contribution I identify two ways in which this topic is approached and discuss their implications. The first approach prioritizes (discriminatory) decision outcomes (e.g. harsher punishment of ethnic minorities). The second approach focuses on the decision-making process. After an introduction to both models, their application in the Belgian research tradition is discussed. Given the current youth justice model, the (statistical) invisibility of some groups of youths and the analytic possibilities offered by process-centred approach, I discuss the advantages of its applications. Such a perspective allows researchers to chart the complexity of information circularity and decision-making within particular institutional contexts. Furthermore, the process focus creates space for the study of subtly harmful processes, without limiting the discussion to narrow understandings of ‘discrimination’.

ISBN:9789057184338

Jaar van publicatie:2015

Toegankelijkheid:Closed