Research > Other publications
Delinquent youth groups and offending behaviour: findings from the 2004 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey
This report examines the extent of young peoples' involvement in 'delinquent youth groups' and the delinquent and criminal behaviour of members of such groups (both individually and as groups), who are aged ten to 19 in England and Wales in the general household population.
Title: Delinquent youth groups and offending behaviour: findings from the 2004 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey
Authors: Clare Sharp, Judith Aldridge, Juanjo Medina
Series: Home Office On-line Report 14/06
Number of pages: 68
Date published: May 2006
Availability:
Download full report
PDF 347Kb
A set of questions to assess the level of involvement in 'delinquent youth groups' among young people was included in the 2004 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS) based on questions developed by the Eurogang Network, a group of international experts in 'gang' research. The OCJS survey was designed to measure the level of offending in the general household population and as such is unlikely to have full coverage of more serious offenders/ members of groups involved in more serious criminal activities.
The use of the term 'gang' can be problematic for a number of reasons relating to its ambiguous nature (these are discussed in the introductory chapter of this report). In order to avoid any problems of interpretation, this report has adopted the term 'delinquent youth group' to refer to the main group of interest. Where delinquent youth groups are referred to in this report, this relates to groups which meet the criteria listed below.
Definition of a delinquent youth group
|
Extent of membership of delinquent youth groups
Overall, an estimated six% of young people aged 10 to 19 were classified as belonging to a delinquent youth group. Levels were similar for males and females (6% each).
Involvement in delinquent youth groups was highest among those aged from 14 to 15 (12%) and 16 to 17 (9%). The figures were far lower in other age groups (Figure 2.1).
Male involvement was highest in 14- to 17-year-olds (11%) whilst female involvement was highest in 14- to 15-year-olds.
The factors most strongly associated with group membership were: having friends in trouble with the police; having run away from home; commitment to deviant peers; having been expelled or suspended from school; and being drunk on a frequent basis.
Individual offending by members of delinquent youth groups
Information on personal offending, drug use and other delinquent behaviour in the last 12 months was collected. The report compares these behaviours in 10- to 19-year-olds classified as belonging to a delinquent youth group (using the definition above) with those who do not belong to such a group. (The acts may have been committed by the individual by themselves or with others but it is not possible to separately identify incidents committed by individuals or by groups.)
Key findings on individual level offending:
63% of those belonging to delinquent youth groups have, themselves, committed at least one 'core offence' in the last year. This is significantly higher than for non-members (26%). The pattern remains when examining individual offence types (the only exception to this was robbery which was low for both members and non-members at 1%).
Only a minority of group members had committed a serious offence (34%) or had offended on a frequent basis (committed 6 or more offences in the last year) (28%) and 7% had committed a serious offence on 6 or more occasions. However, these figures are significantly higher compared with the equivalent in young people not classed as members (13, 7 and 2% respectively). Consequently, the 6% of individuals who were members of delinquent youth groups were responsible for around a fifth (21%) of all core offences committed by this age group (10 to 19 years).
A small proportion of young people belonging to a delinquent youth group said they had carried weapons (13% had carried a knife and only 1% had carried a gun). Again, these are significantly higher than for non-members at 4% and less than 1% respectively.
45% of young people in delinquent youth groups had used an illegal drug in the last year and 11% had used a Class A substance. This is significantly higher than for non-members (15% for any drug and 3% for Class A drugs).
Offending in those who were members of delinquent youth groups was significantly higher than for non-members who had 'delinquent friends' (measured by whether the respondent had friends who had been in trouble with the police). The diagram below shows that members were significantly more likely to admit to committing a 'core' offence in the last year than non-members who had delinquent friends (63% compared with 43%). This pattern also held for serious and frequent offending and drug use, though the difference with regard to Class A drug use was not statistically significant.
Offending/delinquency in groups acting together
Part of the definition of a 'delinquent youth group' used in this report is that the group must have committed at least some criminal or delinquent acts together. The OCJS asked respondents about a range of behaviours that their group have been involved in. Although most can be classed as illegal behaviour, some may not necessarily be (e.g. 'frightening people').
The most common delinquent group activity carried out together was using drugs. A half (51%) of those belonging to a delinquent youth group said their group had used drugs together in the last year. (The proportion of group members whose group delinquent activity is based only around drug use and no other behaviour was 13%.)
Other common activities were threatening or frightening people (40% of those in delinquent youth groups reported that their group had done this), graffiti (36%); breaking, damaging or destroying things (31%) and using force or violence (29%).
Although drug selling and weapons are often considered a feature of 'gangs', the OCJS shows that these were relatively uncommon among the delinquent youth groups measured in the survey. Just under a fifth of those belonging to a DYG reported that their group had actually sold drugs (18%) or carried knives (17%) and 4% had carried guns.
The level of group offending/delinquency in delinquent youth groups can be compared with that in 'other groups of young people' which are groups who do not meet all the required criteria for the definition above.
Levels of group offending were far lower among 'other youth groups of young people'. This is not surprising as part of the criteria for belonging to a delinquent youth group was that the group has engaged in one of the delinquent activities listed. Only 17% of young people in other groups engaged in at least one of the activities listed, most commonly drug use at 9%.
Characteristics of delinquent youth groups
Most (about 90%) group members said their groups had between six and 50 members. A third (32%) had between 6 and 10 members, 27% between 11 and 19 members, 30% between 20 and 50 members, and 9% fewer than five members. The mean size was 16 (median was 13).
About 4 in 10 (42%) group members described their groups as being 'half boys half girls'. Almost a half (48%) said their group comprised of all or mostly boys. Only 10% were 'all' or 'mostly' girl groups.
Groups tended to include individuals of similar ages. 25% of group members said their group only included 12- to 15-year-olds, and 27% said their group only included people aged 16 to 18.
Although the majority of members of delinquent youth groups said their group was ethnically homogeneous (60% of groups were White only, three% Black only, and five% Asian only), about a third (31%) said their group included a mix of different ethnic groups.
The majority of group members (88%) reported that the group had its own special area or place; a third (33%) said the group had a name; almost four in ten (38%) that the group had a leader and 15% that the group had rules or codes for members.
The possession of an area or place the group 'called its own' was by far the most common feature of delinquent youth groups. Of group members whose group had an area or place of their own, this was most often an open public space such a 'park or recreation ground' (mentioned by 43%) or a 'street corner or square' (mentioned by 39%). However, a quarter mentioned 'someone's home'.
Getting a copy
Last update: 31 May 2006