Young Offenders

Youth crime dominates media coverage of youth culture in the UK and continues to pre-occupy senior politicians and policy-makers intent on being ‘tough’ on crime. However, research suggests that young people are more likely to be victims of crime than they are perpetrators. It also worth noting that most young people who do come into contact with the criminal justice system usually only appear before it once. Despite these findings, there has been an increasing concern among the general public over the perceived rise in persistent young offenders.

In Scotland the age of criminal responsibility is 8 years and over, although children under 8 may be referred to a social worker and possibly a children’s hearing if their behaviour is thought to make them vulnerable or put them at risk. Children aged between 8 and 16 who commit an offence (except serious offences) are likely to be referred to the children’s hearing system, while those aged 16 to 18 can be dealt with by the children’s hearing system or the courts.  

The Scottish Government has pursued a range of initiatives in an effort to address offending behaviour among children and young people in Scotland, further details of which can be found here.  

A report, which explores public attitudes in Scotland to young people and crime in Scotland, can be found here.  

For information on anti-social behaviour and the children’s hearing system visit these pages of the website.

The Centre holds a number of books on Young Offenders, details of which can be found here.