YOUTH OFFENDERS

Of the young offenders aged 10 to 19 years, the highest offender rate for males occurred at age 19 years and for females it was at age 17 years. Males aged 19 years offended at a rate more than three times higher than the rate for all male offenders (17,502 male offenders for every 100,000 males aged 19 years compared to 4,845 male offenders per 100,000 males aged 10 years and over). Females aged 17 years had an offender rate of 6,441 per 100,000 females aged 17 years which was almost five times the rate for all female offenders (1,354 female offenders per 100,000 females aged 10 years and over).

The predominant principal offences for youth offenders were public order offences (35%), theft and acts intended to cause injury (both 15%). The impact of age on patterns of offending is further illustrated by the following graph. The peaks in the rate of offending associated with the different offence types occurred at different ages as well as different levels. From the age of 13 years, there was a noticeable increase in public order offences as a principal offence until the peak at age 17 years. Rates associated with theft peaked at age 16 years, while the highest rate for acts intended to cause injury occurred at age 18.

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