Adolescent violence, state processes, and the local context of moral panic

Abstract

The authors argue that recent societal reactions to youth violence can be characterized as a moral panic. They argue that the current moral panic over youth violence both arises from and has been contributing to a restructuring of the role of the state. This takes the form of reductions in public investment in social welfare and education and a concomitant transfer of resources to a more repressive apparatus of social control through policing and incarceration.