Changing patterns of offending over 30 years

The focus of this contribution is on the changing patterns of offending among young people (aged 16–20 years) over time. Using six ‘birth cohorts’ aged 16–20 in the late 1960s, early 1970s, late 1970s, early 1980s, late 1980s, early 1990s and late 1990s, the study shows that crime participation – in terms of the proportions ever convicted – declined for both males and females. There has also been an overall shift from more ‘specialist’ criminal behaviour to more ‘versatile’ behaviour. While the gap between male and female offending is narrowing, the differences remain large. Although fewer young people are coming before the courts, the changing case mix has probably influenced the perception that offending is getting worse. As those committing ‘lesser’ offences are being dealt with by other means, there are higher proportions of young people coming before the courts who exhibit greater versatility and more violence.