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Police targets bringing more children into criminal justice system
More and more children and young people are being brought into the criminal justice system to satisfy police targets, according to a new report by Nacro, the crime reduction charity.
In 2002 the Government introduced a target for police and criminal justice agencies to narrow the ‘justice gap’ between offences recorded and those brought to justice, by increasing the number of offences resulting in a formal ‘sanction detection’ (such as reprimands and final warnings).
Rather than leading to those who commit more serious crimes being brought to justice, Nacro’s analysis reveals that younger children, girls, and those who commit less serious offences have all been targeted. This is resulting in ever increasing numbers of children being brought into the criminal justice system.
The report, launched today (3rd April) at Nacro’s Annual Youth Crime Conference, suggests that offences which would previously have been considered minor and dealt with informally by the police, school or young person’s family, are now being dealt with through formal sanctions.
Analysis of crime statistics (comparing 2003 to 2006) reveals that there have been disproportionate rises in the number of recorded offences committed by younger children and by girls, and a disproportionate rise in less serious offending.
Age:
While the number of young people aged 15 to 17 who received a reprimand, final warning or conviction for an indictable offence rose by 15.8% between 2003 and 2006, the equivalent increase for 10 to 14 year olds was 25.6%.
Gender:
In 2006, girls’ detected offending was 31.7% higher than in 2003; the equivalent rise for boys was 16%, indicating a reduced use of informal warnings and measures in responding to girls’ misbehaviour.
Seriousness:
Comparing the rate of increase for indictable (more serious) offences and summary (the least serious) offences between 2003 and 2006 reveals that indictable offences rose by a massive 38.9%, compared to a 19% rise for summary offences.
Commenting, Paul Cavadino, Chief Executive of Nacro, said:
“For some time we have suspected that the police have been targeting younger children and less serious crimes in order to reach their targets of ‘offences brought to justice’. Our analysis now shows that this is the case.
“Nacro is deeply concerned that while the Government pledges to reduce the number of children coming into the criminal justice system, in practice more and more children are being given formal sanctions that result in a criminal record. This can be counter-productive as children labelled as offenders can try to live up to that image.
“Often the most effective response in the early stages of minor offending is either an informal warning or to work with children in positive ways which do not give them a criminal record.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
1. The report ‘Some facts about children and young people who offend’ is available as a pdf from Nacro’s media office. Please call 020 7840 7216.
2. The report is being launched at Nacro’s annual youth crime conference, which is taking place from 2nd to 4th April at Warwick University.
3. The report is one of Nacro’s Youth Crime Briefings, which (from April 2008) are produced with support from the Howard League for Penal Reform. Youth Crime Briefings are published quarterly and are available by subscription. For more information please contact Phedre James or Lionel Skingley on 020 7840 6443/6439.
youth crime, targets, offences brought to justice, police, Paul Cavadino
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