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Number 50, August 2007
A summary of Youth Justice Statistics in New Zealand: 1992 to 2006
Jin Chong
Research, Evaluation and Modelling Unit
Introduction
This report is the first in a new series of reports to be published annually presenting youth justice statistics. In previous years, young offender statistics were presented in the annual report series titled ‘Conviction and Sentencing of Offenders in New Zealand’. This report examines trends in Police apprehensions of 14 to 16 year olds over the period 1995 to 2006. It also examines trends in prosecutions, convictions and sentencing of young people over the period 1992 to 2006.
This report presents information sourced from New Zealand Police and Statistics New Zealand. The report also uses data derived from the previous Law Enforcement System (LES) and the current Case Management System (CMS). The system changeover between 2003 and 2004 has changed how some information, notably case data, is defined and constructed. These changes may have affected some of the statistical trends, although not all of these effects can be identified and quantified.
Police apprehensions and resolutions
In 2006, there was a total of 30,451 Police apprehensions of 14 to 16 year olds. This equates to approximately one in seven of all apprehensions (30,451 apprehensions of this age group out of a total of 203,484 apprehensions across all groups). The total number of Police apprehensions of 14 to 16 year olds remained stable over the period 1995 to 2006 at around 31,000 apprehensions each year.
In 2006, over half of youth apprehensions were for property offences (18,828 apprehensions or 62%). On average, around 19,650 young people were apprehended for property offences each year over the period 1995 to 2006. In fact, in 2006, the 14 to 16 age group had the highest apprehension rate of any age group for property offences. Sixty-three per cent of youth apprehensions for property offences involved dishonesty offences (burglary, theft and motor vehicle conversion), compared to 70% in 1995 (from 14,589 in 1995 to 11,871 in 2006). Apprehensions for theft, the biggest contributor to property offences, fluctuated around an annual average of 7,700 over that period.
Good order offences comprise the next largest proportion (4,059 apprehensions or 13%), followed by violent offences (3,743 apprehensions or 12%), drug offences (1,312 apprehensions or 4%), miscellaneous offences (858 apprehensions or 3%), other against persons offences (847 apprehensions or 3%) and offences against justice (804 apprehensions or 3%).
There has been an increase in the number of youth and adult apprehensions for violent offences over the period 1995 to 2006. The number of youth apprehensions for violent offences increased from 2,690 to 3,743 (an overall increase of 39%), while for adults they increased from 25,375 to 31,010 (an overall increase of 22%). In 2006, the number of youth apprehensions for violent offences increased 9% from 2005. The increase was largely due to increases recorded in grievous/serious assaults (from 1,324 to 1,512) and minor assaults (from 1,345 to 1,392). In 2006, the adult apprehensions for violent offences increased 7% from 2005. The number of youth apprehensions for homicides fluctuated between 1 and 12 over the 1995 to 2006 period, rising from 3 in 2005 to 8 in 2006.
The total population of 14 to 16 year olds in New Zealand has risen from 160,840 in 1995 to 191,450 in 2006 (a 19% increase). In 2006, the overall youth apprehension rate was the lowest recorded over the 1995 to 2006 period at 1,591 apprehensions per 10,000 population. More young males than females were apprehended; between 77% and 80% of apprehensions of young people over the period 1995 to 2006 were of males. When the population increase is taken into account, the apprehension rate for both young males and females actually declined over the period.
Most youth apprehensions are for NZ Europeans or Māori. Approximately the same number of each of these ethnic groups was apprehended each year between 1998 and 2003. Before 1998 and after 2003, there tended to be slightly more apprehensions of Māori youth than NZ Europeans. The percentage of 14 to 16 year olds apprehended who were Māori decreased from 1995 to 2002. From 2003 to 2005, however, Māori youth’s proportion of the total rose from 45% to 48%. In 2006, 47% of 14 to 16 year olds who were apprehended were Māori. Pacific peoples were the next largest group of youth apprehensions, comprising between 6% and 9% of all youth apprehensions over the 1995 to 2006 period.
Similar numbers of Māori and NZ European young people aged 14 to 16 are apprehended each year by the Police for non-traffic offences. However, Māori youth comprise less of the New Zealand population than young NZ Europeans do. For this reason, the Māori apprehension rate is more than twice the Pacific peoples’ apprehension rate and nearly three times that of the NZ European or other group. The apprehension rates for Māori and NZ European or other groups have fallen slightly in the 2001 to 2006 period. While the apprehension rates for Pacific peoples have fallen from 2001, the apprehension rate in 2006 shows a slight increase on 2005.
Of the 30,451 youth apprehensions recorded in 2006:
- 29% were prosecuted (note, only a portion of these prosecutions would result in the charge proven or a conviction)
- 39% were dealt with by Police Youth Aid
- 23% were issued with a formal warning
- 6% were referred to Child Youth and Family for an intention to charge Family Group Conference
- 3% were resolved by other means.
Outcomes of prosecutions
The number of prosecuted cases involving young people in 2006 increased 5% from 2004 (from 5,918 to 6,202). The proportion of young people convicted in the District or High Court (after the case was transferred for trial and/or sentencing) decreased, from 11% in 1992 to 6% in 2003. From 2004 to 2006, the proportion remained steady at 5%. Over the period 1992 to 2003, the proportion of cases proved in the Youth Court fluctuated between 26% and 35%. In the 2004 to 2006 period, the proportion of cases resulting in this outcome decreased slightly from 30% to 27%. The proportion of cases resulting in section 282 discharges (of the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989) in the Youth Court climbed from 19% in 1992 to 38% in 2003. In the 2004 to 2006 period, the proportion fluctuated between 34% and 35%.
Taking into account the effect of the increase in the 14 to 16 year old population over the period, there was an average of 220 cases prosecuted and an average of 68 cases proved in the Youth Court per 10,000 population over the period 1992 to 2003. In the period 2004 to 2006, the figures show that 2006 recorded the highest rate of 324 prosecuted youth cases per 10,000 population, with a rate of 88 cases proved in the Youth Court per 10,000.
The 2006 figures show that miscellaneous offences were the most likely to result in conviction (18%); of these convictions 73% involved minors breaching local liquor bans. Nearly half of all prosecuted cases in 2006 involve property offences, with over one-third resulting in a section 282 discharge (40%). Twenty-four per cent of all prosecuted cases involved violent offences (1,486 out of 6,202); 39% of these resulted in a not proved outcome, 27% resulted in Youth Court proved, 27% resulted in a section 282 discharge while the remaining 7% resulted in convictions.
From 1992 to 2003, on average, over half (53%) of proved cases against young people involved property offences. From 2004 to 2006 the figures were steady (54%, 51% and 50% respectively). Violent cases accounted for around one-quarter of proved cases involving young people each year from 1992 to 2003. From 2004 to 2006, violent cases consistently averaged 24%. Imprisonable traffic offences fluctuated between 8% and 14% from 1992 to 2003. The figures over the last three years continued to show that one in ten proved cases involved traffic offences (between 11% and 13%). In 2006, nearly half of the traffic cases involved driving with excess alcohol, under the influence of drugs or refusing to supply a blood specimen (49%) and around one in five cases involved reckless and dangerous driving (21%).
Sentencing of young people
The proportion of proved cases that resulted in any type of custodial sentence (i.e. imprisonment excluding corrective training) has remained steady at around 60 cases since 2001. The number of proved cases that resulted in Youth Court supervision orders (supervision, supervision with activity and supervision with residence) increased from 1992 to 2003, with an average of around 500 cases. From 2004 to 2006 there was an average of 715 supervision orders per year. In 2006, over one-third of proved cases (39%) resulted in supervision, supervision with activity or supervision with residence orders.
The proportion of cases resulting in a monetary penalty fluctuated between 11% and 19% over the period 1992 and 2003. From 2004 to 2006, the use of monetary penalties remained steady at an average of 16%.
Admonition involves the offender receiving a reprimand from a Youth Court judge (with no other sentence or order being imposed). Proved cases resulting in this outcome fluctuated between 52 and 295 cases (4% and 19%) over the period 1992 to 2003. In 2004, 472 proved cases resulted in this outcome. The figures remained steady in 2005 and 2006 (371 and 376 respectively). The proportion of proved cases resulting in an outcome of admonished decreased from 23% in 2004 to 19% in 2006.
