Debate about youth violence: between media truth and reality!

Debate about youth violence: between media truth and reality!

At the 10th police science conference of the Lower Saxony police academy, experts from the police, judiciary, social work and science gathered to discuss current issues about youth violence. Under the provocative title "Between gut and reality", common clichés were questioned and compared with scientific knowledge.

A highlight of the event was the lecture by Prof. Dr. Thomas Hestermann from the Macromedia Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. He criticized the role of the media in the perception of youth violence, especially with regard to non -German persons, and showed how this reporting creates a distorted reality. In addition, Yvonne War from the Criminological Research Institute in Lower Saxony presented important insights into the causes of youth violence in the dark field and the influence of police work on young people who have become delinquent. The conference made it clear that subjective feelings of security are often more shaped by media and personal experiences than by the actual crime situation.