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Ethnic Profiling in the European Union: Pervasive, Ineffective, and Discriminatory

Date:
May 2009
Source:
OSI

Pervasive use of ethnic and religious stereotypes by law enforcement across Europe is harming efforts to combat crime and terrorism, according to this report released by the Open Society Justice Initiative.

Ethnic profiling occurs most often in police decisions about who to stop, question, search, and, at times, arrest. Yet there is no evidence that ethnic profiling actually prevents terrorism or lowers crime rates.

Throughout Europe, minorities and immigrant communities have reported discriminatory treatment by the police. From massive data mining operations to intimidating identity checks, ethnic profiling is often more of a public relations stunt than a real response to crime. The report, Ethnic Profiling in the European Union: Pervasive, Ineffective, and Discriminatory, details widespread profiling in France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and other EU member states.

The complete report, as well as an executive summary in Dutch, French, German, and Italian is available for download below.

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Ethnic Profiling in the European Union (Executive Summary, Dutch)
PDF Document - 157K
Download a summary of the report in Dutch.

Ethnic Profiling in the European Union (Executive Summary, French)
PDF Document - 162K
Download a summary of the report in French.

Ethnic Profiling in the European Union (Executive Summary, German)
PDF Document - 168K
Download a summary of the report in German.

Ethnic Profiling in the European Union (Executive Summary, Italian)
PDF Document - 157K
Download a summary of the report in Italian.

Ethnic Profiling in the European Union (Executive Summary)
PDF Document - 168K
Download a summary of the report.

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