Leave those kids alone / Guardian, 9 June 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/09/children.ukcrime?gusrc=rss&feed=society
Rowenna Davis
"According to a new report from the UK's children's commissioners, our young people are not becoming increasingly criminal; our society is simply treating them like they are. The report states that whilst crime committed by children fell between 2002 and 2006, the numbers being criminalised went up by over a quarter. This clampdown might be justified if the offences were actually causing harm. But many young people are now being subject to authoritarian interference before they have actually done anything tangible. They are, for example, chastised for "hanging around" certain areas or wearing hoodies. In Essex, "forward intelligence teams" allow police officers to follow and record young individuals who might engage in antisocial behaviour. Being perceived as a threat, it seems, now constitutes an offence worthy of police intervention."
PDF - http://www.11million.org.uk/resource/31f7xsa2gjgfc3l9t808qfsi.pdf