NCJ Number
235827
Date Published
January 2011
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether it is possible to predict which young people cautioned by police will reoffend.
Abstract
Results indicate that the risk of further offending after being cautioned by police could be predicted from the number of previous contacts, whether the caution was issued by police or a court. The typical juvenile cautioned by the police or courts is male, non-indigenous, lives in a major city, is aged between 15 and 17, and lives in a socio-economically disadvantaged area. The majority of those cautioned have had either no prior contact with the criminal justice system or, at most, one or two contacts. Fewer than 10 percent have had a prior contact with the criminal justice system for a violence offense. A large proportion (52 percent) over the following three years after the caution will have at least one more contact with the criminal justice system. One in five will have only one further contact but a substantial proportion will be cautioned, referred to a conference, or taken to court several times. Twenty-one percent of those who are cautioned will have a t least three further criminal justice contacts over the next 3 years. Those who did have further contacts were not being picked up for minor offenses. The most common subsequent offenses were violent offenses (mostly assaults), theft, and driving offenses. This study used information readily available at the time young offenders (n=8,537) were cautioned in 2006. Tables, figures, notes, and references