The relationship between the police and young people in Australia is widely discussed in the community, and the media often focus on some of the more dramatic cases at street level. While the community is concerned about juvenile crime, worries have also been expressed about police harassment and violence directed at young people. This book gives a sustained analysis of police-youth relations, offering new insights into how young people are policed.

The book considers the position of young people economically and socially in Australian society and looks at policing as one of many ways in which young people's activities are controlled.

Some of the specific areas addressed include the historical construction of police-youth interaction - from larrikins to juvenile delinquents; the legal framework of police-youth interaction in Australia; young people and their rights; policing of Aboriginal youth; the relationship of police and young women; ethnic and community policing; young people and the street; and possible future directions in policy.

Written by a team of the leading people in the field, the book makes an important contribution to debate on a critical issue. The Police and Young People in Australia shows the implications that contemporary police methods and practices have on the exercise of basic legal rights in Australian society.