Abstract

In December 2005, images of aggressive crowds of young people in Cronulla, a seaside suburb of Sydney, hit the media. In January 2006, the focus had switched to groups of young men in West Dubbo, NSW, fighting with police. Commentators acknowledged that the causes of youth violence were complex and included the disenfranchisement of young people, the consumption of alcohol, and specific cultural and historical circumstances. Talk of ethnocentrism, xenophobia, and racism underpinned the ensuing debate about whether a 'zero-tolerance' policy to crime should be adopted or whether potential solutions lay in understanding the causes of these events. Both these policy responses have their attractions and proponents. Both are, in themselves, inadequate.