It's known for certain that youth coming from other countries are more criminal than Danish youth, but after that, it's all guesswork. It has never been researched if youth coming from Palestine or Somalia are more criminal than youth from Turkey or Iran, or if youth from refugee families are more criminal than those from immigrant families. But there's much to show that this is true.
The most comprehensive study done in institutions for criminal youth shows that 66% of young criminals have a background other than ethnic Danes, and that 70% of ethnic (ie, non-Danish) youth come from refugee families.
Bo Ertmann of Teori og Metodecenteret, says that 2nd generation immigrants at the institutions are less criminal than ethnic Danes and much less criminal than youth of refugee background.
The study is from 2006, but going into the details, Bo Ertmann has the suspicions that the debate is based on wrong assumptions. He says that the debate on criminality in Denmark starts off with what he sees as a dogma: that the reason for developing criminality is that we have a group of 2nd generation immigrants whose parents weren't able to discipline them and who are torn between their original culture and the Danish one. But Bo Ertmann believes that reality is different, that refugee kids are more criminal becasue there come from vulernable families, where the scars or war are tatooed in the families' history.
According to Bo Ertmann stateless Palestinians and youth from Somalia and the former USSR are more criminal than immigrant youth from Pakistan or Turkey. he says that looking at youth institutions, there's a dividing line between those who come from traditional war ravaged lands, and those who don't. Bo Ertmann stressed that he's speaking out of a gut feeling. It's been taboe to label youth's criminality according to ethnicity, but he thinks that that taboe should be broekn, and the material should be more precise.
Immigrant consultant and author Manu Sareen, who works with young trouble makers thinks that the researchers and statisticians should go ahead, even if there's a risk that certain groups would then be stigmatized. He says it's possible that this way 80% of the integration projects could be closed the money used where there's actual need for it, since people don't know what the money is being used for.
The Danish People's Party wants to require a more through research of how crime is divided among the different ethnic groups. The Social Democrats agree, saying that it will show how to approach crime better.
Source: Politiken (Danish)
See also: Copenhagen: Increase in gang-crime , Norway: Muslim youth mentally healthier than other immigrants
