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High-risk offenders under the age of 18 : IMMIGRANTS
• 1. Introduction• 2. Belgium : a protectional model• 3. The history of the last 20 years• 4. Immigrants
– Adult time for adult crime : the tough part is for the immigrants !
– “Us” and “Them” : the roots of immigrant juvenile delinquency
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1. Introduction : more questions then answers
• Juvenile delinquency and immigrants : two different subjects at the same time– Different profiles for different offenders– Interventions in the correctional sector versus
integration policy• An exclusive focus on immigrants is impossible• What does the word immigrant mean?
– Legal/illegal– Nationality/origin
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1. Introduction : more questions then answers
• “The nature and the scale of the problem?”– Talking about prison or give prison
statistics is not enough
• Is the Belgium system a possible solution or an effective intervention?
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2. A protectional model
• The basic idea behind the protectional law
• Characteristics:– Protection means assistance
– Measures
– Open/closed institutions
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2. A protectional model
• Open/closed institutions :– No overcrowding
– The rule is the group
– A pedagogic model or project
– Basic approach of regime developing
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2. A protectional model
• The ambiguity of the protectional model– Difference in between measure or sanction?– To protect somebody or to make him assume
his responsibility?• A “bypass” in the protectional system :
– A juvenile justice court can desist.• Belgium is a federal state :
– Devolution in between the state and the Communities
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3. The history of the last 20 years
• Extreme right – Focus on immigrants– Feelings of insecurity– A “security logic” entered in our minds
• Focus on juvenile delinquency– Focus on young male immigrants– “cut Moroccans”
• Un régime communautaire
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3. The history of the last 20 years
• Feelings of insecurity become associated with juvenile delinquency– Quantity : more juvenile delinquency?
– Quality : changes in juvenile delinquency?
• Capacity : 400 versus 10.000
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3. The history of the last 20 years
• Why this (media) attention?– Youth delinquency is striking, often
very public and very visible– The lack of (closed) capacity
• The birth of a federal “prison”• Why don’t we question the use of all
these places?
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3. The history of the last 20 years
• Three problematic categories : juveniles with a psychiatric problem, drug addicts and illegals
• The ongoing strikes in the institutions of the Flemish Community :– Mental problems, psychiatry, sexual
problems, low IQ, ADHD, problematic educational past, autists…
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3. The history of the last 20 years
• Too dangerous to be cared for and too “psychiatric” to be dealt with
• Is the system inadequate or did the juveniles become inadequate?
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3. The history of the last 20 years
• The case of Joe van Holsbeeck : the MP3 murder in Brussels Central Station– Why this case?– The quote from the BBC news website– Football seems to be the best solution
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4. Immigrants
• 4.1. To desist a juvenile : “Adult time for adult crime” : the tough part is for the immigrants!– What happens when a juvenile judge
decides to desist?– The possibility to desist is the result of a
compromise– The aims of the system
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4. Immigrants
Belgium French Comm
Flem Comm
Brussels
1999 102 39 13 50
2000 134 37 30 67
2001 135 39 31 65
2002 150 62 29 59
2003 139 38 24 77
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4. Immigrants
Public prosecutor/ youth
Juvenile justice court
desist
Non-Eu nationality
19% 24% 42,6%
Non-Eu origin
28% 44% 74,9%
No trad. Secondary school
76% 89% 99,1
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4. Immigrants
– 41,4 % is Moroccan
– 16,7% Is Belgian
– Third group are the (black) Africans
– Eastern Europe and Turkish juveniles : each about 6%
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4. Immigrants
– Main characteristics of this group :• ‘the file rouge” is violence• Problematic family situation, schooling is
problematic, negative attitude, psychiatric problems
– Effective?– A forgotten group in prison– Two new federal closed institutions
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“Flemish sections” Everberg
2005 2006 2007
Belgian 24,81% 28% 35,86%
Belgian but non-Eu origin
51,16% 49,33% 41,83%
Non-Eu nationality 24,03% 22,67% 22,31%
% 100% 100% 100%
N 258 300 251
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4.2.: “Us” and “Them” : the roots of immigrant juvenile delinquency
• The study of Marion Van San
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4.2.: “Us” and “Them” : the roots of immigrant juvenile delinquency :
two follow-up studies– University of Ghent :
• Immigrant delinquency has much more socio-economic reasons then cultural reasons
• Recommendations : – just tough repression is not a solution
– Authority should focus on : schooling, education, employment, leisure time, help and care processes
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4.2.: “Us” and “Them” : the roots of immigrant juvenile delinquency :
two follow-up studies– University of Leuven :
• “Us” and “Them” : Flemish “mietjes” and immigrant “machos”
• “spheres of justice” : family, street, school and your own community
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Questions ?
