Participation in crime among children and young adults: Changes over time

This study focuses on crime participation – that is, the numbers and proportion of
the population in England and Wales who are convicted of a crime between the ages of
10-25. Data on over 47,000 male and 10,000 female offenders for six specific birth
cohorts (those born in 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973 and 1978) was extracted from the
Offenders Index. We related convictions in three age groups (10-15, 16-20, 21-25) to
population estimates for these age groups.
Striking differences in the participation rates over time were observed for both
males and females. There is a remarkable decline among the 10-15 age group for more
recent cohorts which echoes the increasing use of court diversionary procedures in this
age group. There is no corresponding increase in participation for the later age groups.
These figures suggest that efforts in the 1980s and early 1990s to divert offenders away
from court convictions have been successful, and that such diversionary schemes need to
be encouraged.