Adult-onset offending: A case for pre-charge diversion

• In Event: Developmental and Life Course Perspectives on Early and Late Onset Offending

Abstract

Between 30-50% of offenders have their first contact with the criminal justice system at 18 years of age or older. Still, adult-onset offending is poorly understood, as is our understanding of appropriate justice system responses for this group. Here, we describe the offenses that characterize adult-onset trajectories and explore pre-charge diversion as an alternative justice system response for this offender group. We use data for a cohort of individuals born in 1983 or 1984 in Queensland, Australia (n=40,523 offenders followed from age 10 to 25) that includes all criminal justice system contacts for the cohort. Half of all offenders in this cohort exhibit adult-onset offending. Further, almost 95% of adult-onset offenders commit low rate, less serious offenses ─ a pattern also observed in U.S, U.K. and European samples. Similar to adolescent-limited offending, the offenses of most adult-onset offenders appear to reflect the social behavior, culture and developmental ‘struggles’ associated with emerging adulthood. For these less serious offenders, pre-charge diversion seems more appropriate and efficient than charging and court processing. Adult pre-charge diversion schemes are also a fraction of the cost of current criminal justice responses, a saving that can be targeted towards offenders at risk of serious, persistent offending.

Authors

• Carleen Thompson, Griffith University

• Lisa Broidy, Griffith University / University of New Mexico

• Anna Stewart, Griffith University