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Social Exclusion and Youth Delinquency
JOURNAL OF YOUTH RESEARCHES
Social Exclusion and Youth Delinquency
It is seen that concept of social exclusion was firstly used in France in 1970’s. The use
of social exclusion being a concept that has arisen and developed in Europe has soa-
red all over the World from 1990’s (Bombongan 2008, Sapancalı: 2005a, Çakır: 2002).
Social exclusion is a new term, but when its content and the subject matters covered
by it are analysed, it is understood that is not so new. Since social exclusion covers
main social policy subjects such as poverty, unemployment, social protection, inequ-
ality, discrimination, etc. and is closely related to these, its economic, social and po-
litical discussion and the concept social intervention have become significant. Social
exclusion and social inclusion, its opposite that means social integration, have beco-
me the concepts that are used frequently on the solution of inequality and mitigation
of its effects which emanate from the changes influencing class structure of indust-
rialized countries particularly (Sapancalı, 2005: 52).
The concept of social exclusion means that individuals are in material and nonmaterial
deprivation at the level to move away from social life, far from the social support and
the institutions that will protect their rights and lives. The factors that bring social exc-
lusion to the light are handled in economic exclusion, weakening of social relations, the
deprivation of social support and institutional exclusion. Social exclusion states the
dynamic process of being fully or partially deprived from all social, economic, political
and cultural systems that provide social integration of society with individual (Çakır,
2002: 84).
Many definitions of social exclusion emphasize that exclusion not only is deprived
from physical resources but also means the marginalization process of some persons
and groups. These definitions discuss not only the exclusion of persons and groups
owing to being deprived from living standards and income that majority have but also
the exclusion from opportunities, options and due to the changes in their life (Millar,
2007: 2).
A series of basic social indicators or risk factors are available for the occurrence of
social exclusion. These risk factors show negative impacts on the possibility of social
inclusion. Low income, unqualified labour, unfavourable health conditions, immigrati-
on, low education level, gender inequality, discrimination and racism, old age, divorce,
dependence on drug and alcohol are some of these (European Commission Joint Re-
port on Social Inclusion 2002: 10). It is likely to mention three types of social exclusion.
Social exclusion may be evaluated under three different areas; exclusion in commodity
and service market and exclusion from labour markets in economic outlook, exclusion
from the services of welfare state or welfare society in social outlook and exclusion
from political participation and institutions in political outlook (Sapancalı, 2005a: 128).
