The criminal development of a juvenile

Rachid is a 15-year-old Algerian who lives in Europe. His parents immigrated to France in 1990 because of terrorism and unemployment in their home country. They hoped to find work and live under better living conditions. But they were not the only ones who hoped for a better life in France and so their dream remained unfulfilled. Rachid´s parents were very poor, so they had to find a cheap flat. In Saint Denis, a small suburb near Paris with lots of poverty, discrimination and violence, they finally found what they were looking for.

Not only Rachid grew up in Saint Denis, but also his three younger brothers. As a result of this, the parents couldn´t take care of all sons. Rachid grew up with no rules und was always discriminated against by the French society. But in Saint Denis, he wasn´t the only case of discrimination for many other Algerians suffered the same. However they felt a cohesion among them.

Due to the constant poverty, theft and violence were always present. Because Rachid was not attached to anyone, he spent his time on the streets and met other Algerians of the same age. In the end, he became more and more a member of a peer group.

Over time he established his position in the peer group. For him, it was like a replacement of his family. He felt good and thought he had found his place in the world, but it wasn´t like that. The other youths forced him to drink alcohol like they did. Rachid didn´t want to lose his place in the group and began to fight for his recognition. After a certain time, he also started to take drugs so as not to be distinguished from the others. His parents didn´t even realize that something was wrong with him.

One day the members of the peer group urged him to a test of courage, to prove that he was one of them: As they didn't have enough money to buy their alcohol and cigarettes, Rachid should take a gun and rob the kiosk. Rachid felt uncomfortable and he did not want to commit a crime. But the thought of being excluded from the group and of showing weakness forced him to do the test of courage. He grabbed the gun, took a deep breath and entered the shop. He put the weapon in front of the shop assistant and grabbed his booty. But when he left the kiosk, the police overwhelmed him and arrested him…

(by Linus, Paki, Moritz, Felix and Niels)