Youth Awareness

Introduction

Offenders aged 17 to 20 years have the highest officially recorded rate of offending of all age groups in New Zealand. Because of this, youth is seen as an indicator of risk of re-offending in most assessment tools. This suggests that most young offenders within the system will be high risk. For that reason the RoC*RoI may not be an accurate indication of risk in a young person.

Common criminogenic needs

Common criminogenic needs of young offenders are:

• anti-social attitudes and beliefs
• violent or aggressive behaviour
• substance abuse and dependency
• lack of familial affection and communication
• lack of familial monitoring and support
• showing poor self-management, impulse control and thinking skills
• social problems - poor attendance and achievements, and
• anti-social peer associations (in particular, gang affiliations may mean offenders gain status from a custodial sentence).

Particular youth issues

When dealing with young offenders, be particularly aware of:

• potential literacy problems, and
• the risk of suicide and self-harm.

Cultural issues

Cultural issues are also very important and must be taken into account in assessments, given:

• the high percentage of young Maori offenders, and
• the high rate of re-offending among young Pacific Island people.