NCJ Number
204755
Journal
Criminology Volume: 41 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2003 Pages: 1065-1100
Editor(s)
Robert J. Bursik Jr.
Date Published
November 2003
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the tense relationship between the French police agencies and ethnic minorities, and discusses evidence of ethnic discrimination by the police and the criminal justice system, and the need for ethnic diversification.
Abstract
In recent years, the public debate on crime and safety in France has increasingly focused on “visible minorities,” specifically North African and Black African youth, seen as a major cause of delinquency, interpersonal violence, and urban disturbances. This study attempted to provide a nuanced analysis of contradictions inherent to France’s current policy on racial/ethnic categorization. The analysis was approached in 4 sections: (1) a historical overview of immigration to France, highlighting the changing composition and economic context of recent waves of immigration; (2) a discussion of the tension problem between the police and ethnic minorities, exacerbated by the lack of targeted data or policies focusing on the ethnic dimension of policing; (3) identifying and examining the obstacles to ethnic recruitment; and (4) identifying and discussing how French institutions deal with the issue of ethnicity. The idea that the ethnic composition of a police force reflects the community it polices has in the past seemed odd to France. One reason for this is that there is a conception of the role of the police in the state as accountable to the government rather that to the citizens. In addition, it has been demonstrated in that although relationships of police forces with visible minorities in France are as difficult as in other countries, the French approach is peculiar due to a specific set of political values, called the “Republican Ideal.” This is based on an abstract conception of citizenship, denying any political significance to the personal identities of citizens. In other words, a situation exists in which police officers view their fellow citizens of recent immigrant origin as nothing but potential troublemakers and criminals and where minorities see nothing but enemies in police officers. Ethnic diversification itself is not enough to suppress discrimination by the police or improve their relationships with minorities, but it’s a first step in transforming mentalities within both the forces and minorities.