Making Sense of Youth Crime: A Comparison of Police Intelligence in the United States and France

This comparative empirical study of policing in the US and France argues that police departments have five distinct professional cultures or intelligence regimes, which influence their approach to knowledge work and understanding social problems like juvenile offending.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 09 March 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This comprehensive comparative empirical study delves into the realm of policing in the United States and France, drawing upon the authors' extensive ten-year fieldwork experience. It argues that the police in both countries can be understood as a amalgamation of five distinct professional cultures or intelligence regimes, each present within individual police departments in both nations. Specifically, the study contends that the nature of police work as knowledge workers and their interpretation of social issues, such as juvenile collective offending, vary significantly based on the specific professional subcommunities or intelligence regimes in which they operate. It is noteworthy that the same problem can be approached from entirely different perspectives even within a single police department, depending on the particular intelligence regime through which it is viewed. This research sheds light on the complex dynamics and diverse approaches within the policing systems of the United States and France, highlighting the importance of considering the interplay between professional cultures and intelligence regimes in understanding police behavior and decision-making.

Weight: 154g
Dimension: 228 x 153 x 9 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781009364287