NCJ Number
158358
Date Published
1993
Length
66 pages
Annotation
Statistical data are provided on patterns of juvenile offending in New Zealand for the 1985-1989 period; data are based on the Department of Social Welfare's operational statistics and allow comparison between figures for different years.
Abstract
The report shows that population-adjusted rates of juvenile offending continued to decline over the 1985-1989 period. Children and Young Persons Court appearances halved, while Children's Board appearances dropped by 70 percent. These shifts in statistics may have reflected a change in the way official agencies responded to juveniles who came to notice for offending. An encouraging feature of the data was the substantial reduction in appearance rates for Maori youth. Court appearance rates by Maori children between 10 and 13 years of age fell by over 80 percent, and appearance rates of Maori children between 14 and 16 years of age also decreased by more than half for males and by nearly two-thirds for females. These reductions were greater than for non-Maori youth. Admonition continued to be the single largest court outcome category for appearances between 1985 and 1989, account for nearly 40 percent of court outcomes in 1989. Sentences involving a period of supervision by a social worker or a period of probation became a little more common between 1985 and 1989. The proportion of court appearances attracting a custodial sentence fell somewhat, from 3.4 to 2.8 percent. Appendixes contain summary tables of juvenile offending statistics and information on possible outcomes for police youth aid nonprosecution cases, appearances before a Children's Board, and Children and Young Persons Court appearances. 14 references, 28 tables, and 15 figures