Comparing historical cohorts of justice-involved young people: What social and ecological risks are associated with growth in high frequency and high harm youth offending?

• In Event: EDLC: multi-cohort studies

Abstract

One of the most notable criminological phenomena in recent decades has been the unprecedented decline in the prevalence of youth offending behaviour across many Western countries in the last 20 to 30 years. Alongside this decline, a number of international jurisdictions, including Nordic countries, the U.S. and Australia, have noted recent trends of growth in high harm or high frequency offending among smaller numbers of young people, often characterised by backgrounds of marginalization and cumulative disadvantage. Little empirical work has attempted to understand the growth in high frequency and high harm offending, which reflects relatively small groups of young people but often a large volume of offending. Our study examines longitudinal youth justice data from Queensland, Australia, comprising 15 consecutive birth cohorts (1993-2007), to explore the changing profile of justice-involved young people. Drawing on Wikstrom’s Developmental Ecological Action model of Situational Action Theory (SAT), this study examines whether changes in exposure to particular social and ecological contexts can explain changes in high frequency and high harm youth offending patterns. Findings will be discussed in relation to crime prevention and desistance strategies that may be suitable for diverting at-risk or justice involved young people from long-term involvement in crime.

Authors

• Molly McCarthy, Deakin University

• Stephane Shepherd, Deakin University

• Troy Allard, Griffith University

• Krystal Lockwood, Griffith University

• Michael Bryden, University of Technology Sydney

• Mohammed Ali, Deakin University