Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

Young People and Crime, 2005 Findings

This report presents the first findings from the 2005 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS). It focuses on levels and trends in youth offending, anti-social behaviour and victimisation among young people aged from 10 to 25 living in the general household population in England and Wales. The survey does not cover young people living in institutions, including prisons, or the homeless, and therefore excludes some high offending groups.

Title: Young People and Crime: Findings from the 2005 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey
Author: Debbie Wilson, Clare Sharp and Alison Patterson
Number of pages: 108
Date published: December 2006
Availability: Download Full Report  PDF 764kb

The report looks at the extent of offending for the crimes covered in the survey and the extent of young people who have committed the offences. The seriousness of offences is also reported. Notable statistics for the extent of Youth offending:

• Three-quarters (75%) of young people had not offended in the last 12 months. Of the 25 per cent that committed at least one of the offences in the last 12 months, many had offended only occasionally or committed relatively trivial offences. The proportion of young people committing an offence remained stable across all three waves of the survey. This pattern held for frequent and serious offenders.
  
• The most commonly reported offence categories were assault (committed by 16%) and other thefts (11%). Criminal damage, drug selling offences and vehicle-related thefts were less common and burglary and robbery were relatively rare at 1% or less.
  
• Males were more likely to have offended in the last 12 months than females (30% compared to 21% respectively). For males the amount of offending peaked among 16- to 19-year-olds, whilst for females the amount peaked earlier at age 14 to 15.
  
• 7% of all young people were classified as frequent offenders, i.e. they had committed an offence six or more times in the last 12 months. This group was responsible for the vast majority (83%) of all offences measured in the survey.
  
• 13% of all 10- to 25-year-olds had committed at least one of the serious offences measured. The majority (71%) of serious offenders had committed an assault resulting in injury and no other serious offence. 1% of all 10- to 25-year-olds
  had frequently committed serious offences (i.e. committed serious offences six or more time in the last 12 months) and were classified as frequent serious offenders.
  
• The proportion of 10- to 25-year-olds who said they had physically attacked someone because of their skin colour, race or religion (racially/religiously motivated assault) in the last 12 months was relatively low, at less than 1%. The level of racially/religiously motivated assaults has remained stable between the 2004 and 2005 waves of the survey.
  
• Overall, 4% of young people had carried a knife in the last 12 months. Males were significantly more likely than females to have carried a knife (5% versus 2%). Of the 4% that had carried a knife, over eight in ten (85%) said the reason for doing so was for protection and 9% said it was in case they got into a fight.
  
• One-fifth (20%) of 12- to 25-year-olds had handled (bought or sold) stolen goods in the last 12 months. 7% had sold stolen goods and 19% had bought stolen goods. The levels of handling stolen goods for 12- to 25-year-olds have remained stable between 2004 and 2005. This pattern held for both selling and buying stolen goods.

The characteristics of offenders was also analysed including looking at the risk factors assoicated with offending. Some of the findings are below.

• 10-15 year olds were mostly associated with offences such as anti-social behaviour; being a victim of personal crime; being drunk once a month or more; having friends/siblings in trouble with the police; and taking drugs. Similar factors were found for serious and frequent offending.
  
• 16-25 year olds were mainly associated with offences such as being a victim of personal crime; committing anti-social behaviour; taking drugs; having friends/siblings in trouble with the police; and being more likely to agree criminal acts are OK. Again for frequent and serious offending, similar factors were found to be strongly associated.

It is well established that the proportion of offences that result in a criminal justice sanction is low. Some offences may never become known to anyone and of those that are known about not all are reported to the police. Furthermore, many offences that are known to the police do not result in the offender being detected.

• In the last 12 months, 4% of all 10- to 25-year-olds had been arrested, 2% had been to court accused of committing a criminal offence and 1% had been given a community/custodial sentence or fine. The general levels of contact with the criminal justice system were similar between the survey waves (there were no significant changes).
  
• Young people who committed an offence in the last 12 months were significantly more likely than those who had not offended in the last 12 months to have been arrested, taken to court or have been given a fine, community or custodial sentence. Just under one in ten (8%) of those who said they had offended in the last 12 months reported that they had been arrested in the same period, while one in twenty offenders (5%) had been to court.
  
• 13% of young people who had offended in the last year said the police had spoken to them about at least one of the offences they had committed in the last 12 months, although not necessarily arrested them. 3% said they had appeared in court or were due to appear in court, and 2% had been convicted of an offence.
  
• Violent offences were the offences most likely to result in the respondent having contact
  with the police.

Levels of anti-social behaviour and other problem behaviours are presented including associated risk factors.

• Over three quarters (77%) of young people had not committed at least one of the four anti-social behaviours in the last 12 months. Of the 23% who had committed antisocial behaviour, most had only done so once or twice.
  
• The proportions of young people committing each of the four anti-social behaviours, and the proportion committing at least one, were stable across the three waves of the survey. This was true for both males and females and for both 10- to 17-year-olds and 18- to 25-year-olds.
  
• Similar to offending, males were significantly more likely than females to have committed anti-social behaviour in the last 12 months; 10- to 17-year-olds were more likely than 18-to 25-year-olds to have committed anti-social behaviour.
  
• For both age groups (10- to 15-year-olds and 16- to 25-year-olds) the factors that were independently strongly associated with committing anti-social behaviour were: committing an offence; having friends/siblings in trouble with the police; and taking any drug. For 10-to 15-year-olds, perceiving their parents to have poor parenting skills was also strongly associated, while for 16- to 25-year-olds, being highly impulsive was strongly associated. These results are similar to those found for offending.

Personal victimisation amoung young people includes robbery, theft from the person, other personal thefts, assault with injury and assault without injury.

• Just over a quarter (27%) of young people had been the victim of personal crime in the last 12 months. The most common forms of victimisation were assault without injury (11%) and other personal thefts (9%). Overall levels of victimisation remained stable across the three waves of the survey.
  
• 10- to 15-year-olds were more likely than 16- to 25-year-olds to have been victims of personal crime in the last 12 months. However the majority of incidents against 10- to 15-year-olds happened at school, perpetrated by pupils or friends and seen by the victims as ‘something that happens' and ‘wrong but not a crime'. The most common forms of victimisation for both age groups (10- to 15-year-olds and 16- to 25-year-olds) were assault without injury (11%) and other personal thefts (9%).
  
• For 10- to 15-year-olds the factors most strongly independently associated with being a victim of personal crime were: committing an offence, being male and identifying one or more disorder problem in their area. For 16- to 25-year-olds committing an offence, having a negative attitude towards their local area and not trusting the police were the most strongly associated factors.

Getting a copy

Download Young People and Crime: Findings from the 2005 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey  PDF 764kb

 

 

Last update: Monday, January 22, 2007