Minorities, Crime, and Criminal Justice in Belgium (From Minorities, Migrants, and Crime: Diversity and Similarity Across Europe and the United States, P 151-174, 1997, Ineke Haen Marshall, ed. - See NCJ-171072)

• NCJ Number: 171079
• Author(s): P Hebberecht
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 24 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Research findings on minorities, crime, victimization, and criminal justice in Belgium are discussed.

Abstract

Statistical data on crime and criminal justice are scarce; information on the criminal involvement of ethnic minorities who have lived in Belgium for a long time are even scarcer. The available data indicate a higher level of criminal involvement for foreigners with a residence in Belgium than for Belgians. Prison admissions of foreigners have increased significantly in recent years, largely due to the increasing number of administrative incarcerations of illegal foreigners. National data on victimization are lacking, although small studies have focused on Moroccan youth and Turkish residents. The scant information on minorities and crime contrasts sharply with the numerous studies on the position of ethnic minorities in general. In the studies done, Belgian criminologists focus on economic and social conditions, cultural differences, or discrimination. Most research has been descriptive and exploratory. The current debate focuses less on integration than on issues generated by extreme right-wing political pressure, which has produced a focus on a security policy toward foreigners and people of foreign origin. Tables and 34 references