Is the population of violent juvenile offenders becoming younger and more problematic in the Netherlands?

• In Event: Prevalence and Trends in Juvenile Crime and Risky Behavior

Abstract

Background and purpose: The media as well as criminal justice professionals are suggesting youth crime has become more serious in recent years, the perpetrators are becoming younger, and that they are a tougher population to deal with. In our research we address the question of how violent youth crime is perceived by professionals of criminal justice organisations as well as by the media and in the research literature. Next to this, we examine the extent to which these views match with results from conviction data analyses.

Methods: Next to a literature research, this study uses the Dutch Research and Policy Database Judicial Documentation (OBJD) on convicts. Numbers of 12 to 23-year old convicts were examined in the years 2000 to 2024. In addition, all available verdicts of cases in which youth were convicted for (attempted) manslaughter in the years 2016 and 2021 have been examined.

Results and conclusion: The results show that in the longer term there has been a decrease in convictions for (serious) violence committed by young people. However, in more recent years, between 2016 and 2024, we see an increase in convictions for serious violent offences among minors. In our presentation, we will address the extent to which the image derived from conviction data matches with the image as painted in the public domain and by professionals from criminal justice organisations.

Authors

• Joris Beijers, WODC

• Lise Prop, WODC

• André van der Laan, WODC (Research and Data Centre), the Netherlands