Youth, age and the representation of fear

Abstract

In working against media representations of the young as a mindless and violent cabal this paper focuses on young people as victims of harassment and fear. While this reality has been recognised for some time it is clear that the victimhood of young people remains largely absent from public debates. As such it is argued that a process of felon setting against youth reflects the more common positioning of youth by society and the state as feared, out of control, and in need of regulation. The aim of this paper is to illustrate how the production and regulation of young people's space is central to the persistence of this paradox, and reinforced by the continued emphasis on young people as offenders in the policy arena. The paper also draws out the geographies of risk for young people, arguing that dualisms and distinctions between victim/offender, feared/fearful, public/private, and safe/dangerous spaces need to be dismantled, if the complex and multiple position of young people in relation to fear of crime is to be acknowledged and addressed.