Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP 63 (2/1999)

Summaries

Growing Attractiveness of Youth, Violence and Criminality
by Helga Cremer-Schafer

Once again “experts” are calling for a mixture of toughness and the “outstretched hand” for juveniles and adolescents who are becoming increasingly prone to criminal behavior and violence. The author traces the contours of the perennially recurring moral panic. By defining juveniles as a dangerous group at risk of becoming criminals the proponents of such arguments are actively contributing to the de-politicization and personalization of social problems, as the author demonstrates.

The Threat of Youth
by Oliver Brüchert

Although the annual criminal statistics primarily reflect the shifts in the complaint behavior of the general public, the myth of criminal youth is also constructed by social scientists using the same data-base. The topos of “dangerous youth” is primarily an instrument for excluding young people from participation in political and economic life.

Combatting Juvenile Delinquency
by Martina Kant and Christine Hohmeyer

Beginning in the early 90's Youth Commissions, Youth Commissioners and special investigative units have been established in the police forces of nearly all larger cities in Germany. This development is clearly in response to the many rhetoric calls for more to be undertaken in the field of prevention. The result, however, is increased activity in terms of persons instaed of case-oriented investigations and increased surveillance and control of youth groups.

Prevention as Risk
by Christine Hohmeyer

Plagued by an increasingly dwindling budget funds, education projects and facilities are now increasingly being evaluated in terms of their potential for contributing to crime prevention. The new formula for legitimization of contributing to crime prevention not only effects a fundamental change in the self-concept of cultural and social work, it also strengthens the influence of the police in areas which were out of bounds for the police in the past.

Social Work and the Police
by Titus Simon

Social change has led to an increasing convergence of police activity and social work in general. In addition the modes of operating have undergone fundamental changes on both sides. The author illustrates these changes in the field of work with youth. He argues in favor of clear and precise separation of tasks and responsibilities.

Women and Police Youth Work
by Dunja Rother

Historically, police youth work was limited exclusively to children and female adolescents. Into the seventies this work was performed by the female detective divisions of the police force. At the same time this was the only area of the police force open to women. Today, police youth work is primarily preoccupied with male youths and is performed primarily by male members of the police force. Even today female police officers are particularly in areas where emotional reconciliation is a key element of police activity.

Security by Incarceration?
by Andrej Wroblewski and Stephen Rehmke

The instrument of preventive custody permits the police to take individuals into custody without their being suspected of criminal activity. For the police in Germany the instrument of preventive custody is becoming an increasingly important means of intervening against undesirable individuals in inner city areas and constitutes a significant tool in securing crowd control in conjunction with demonstrations. The authors present a review of cases in which this instrument has been employed by the police and the – limited – legal remedies against its use by the police.

Fatalities from Police Firearms
by Otto Diederichs

As every year Cilip publishes its own statistics on fatal police shootings together with a brief description of the incidents as reported in the press. In 1998 a total of 8 persons were the victims of police use of firearms.

The Goal is Control
by Manfred Such

During the last period of the Bundestag the author of this article was a member of the parliamentary control commission on the intelligence agencies. He demonstrates the limited powers of parliamentary oversight by presenting a review of a 1994 incident involving undercover agents from the Bundesnachrichtendienst (Federal Intelligence Service) permitted plutonium to be illegally transported into Germany. Even the parliamentary control commission is bound to secrecy. Reformation of the instruments of controlling the intelligence services has only been halfheartedly set into motion by the new administration. And as happened to the Greens until 1995, the PDS (Party for Democratic Socialism) is not being admitted to membership in the commission.

The Growth of the Schengen Information Systems (SIS)
by Heiner Busch

In 1995 with the establishment of the Schengen Information System an electronic wanted persons system was called into being which encompasses nearly the whole European Union. The newest statistics provide indications of the number of deletions and the number of new entries into the SIS. They also indicate a shift of police stop and search practice from the borders into the territory.