Young Offenders Researched by MORI

More young offenders caught committing crime are being punished, new MORI research commissioned by the Youth Justice Board has shown. The 2002 Youth Survey suggests that authorities are increasingly applying punitive measures, such as paying fines or compensation.

The survey, published earlier this week, shows that reported offending levels among mainstream and excluded pupils have not changed significantly since 1999. In the 2002 survey, they were 26% and 64% respectively. Levels of mobile phone theft have remained constant since 2001, with 5% of mainstream offenders and 25% of excluded offenders committing this offence.

The survey, which looks at trends in offending, shows that the number of school pupils who are not punished after being caught for an offence has fallen from 22% in 2001 to 16% in 2002. There has been an increase in the use of punitive measures for this group since 2001, while the use of warnings and reprimands has fallen slightly.

The report also indicates excluded young people caught for an offence are better able to distinguish between right and wrong than those that have not been caught, suggesting that contact with the youth justice system may be having a positive impact on perceptions of criminal activities. Nearly half (47%) of excluded pupils caught for an offence think that is wrong to carry a knife as a weapon, compared to 36% of excluded offenders who have not been caught.

The fear of being caught and parental reaction remain the two greatest deterrents to committing crime among both mainstream and excluded pupils (41% and 40% respectively for school pupils, 31% and 34% for excluded pupils). However, offending levels and the likelihood of being caught differs considerably by region. The highest levels of offending are in London, North East and South East, while the 2001 survey found that young offenders in the North East and Wales are the most likely to be caught.

Excluded pupils are more likely to offend than school pupils, and commit more serious offences. The most common offence committed by excluded offenders is handling stolen goods (60%), while the most common offence committed by offenders in school is fare dodging (46%).

Two-thirds of excluded pupils (66%) and over half of school pupils (56%) have been victims of crime in the past year. The majority of offences against young people are committed by other young people (71% of those against school pupils and 60% of those against excluded pupils).

The MORI Youth Survey was based on 600 pupils attending projects for excluded young people across England and Wales during January-March 2002. A summary of the findings and the full report are published on the YJB website

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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