Transforming Police Surveillance of Kids to the Civic Incorporation of Youth

The standard account of policy feedback scholarship centers on self-reinforcing dynamics of social policies: the provision of resources not only promotes economic security and well being, it also enables the individuals and communities directly affected by the policies to engage more constructively with state actors. Criminal justice policies have typically had the opposite effect: they embolden those with interests in a punitive policy agenda, while disempowering those most affected by the policies.This is of particular concern for children and adolescents, whose first encounters with state actors often come through police contact, and carry adverse social and political consequences at a critical developmental stage. In this article we reimagine youth engagement with the state, not only by substantially reducing police surveillance of young people, but by promoting youth attachment to civic life. We call for an investment in institutions, both state-based and community-based, that reinforce citizenship and civic health.