TEEN TROUBLE

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Around 70% of all crime is committed by a relatively small group of hardened adult offenders. Teenagers do get involved in wrongdoing, and one in four of all young people aged 10 to 25 (almost 3 million young people) offend each year, of whom more than half commit a serious offence such as assault with injury, theft, burglary, selling Class A drugs or robbery. But although that figure sounds high, it actually means that 75% of teenagers are not criminals. People think that virtually all youngsters are villains because the media has whipped up a climate of fear, so that people even feel uneasy when they see teens doing normal things like hanging around in groups chatting, or playing ball games.

What's more, although older people are afraid of becoming victims of crime, it's teens themselves who are most likely to be targeted by criminals. The British Crime Survey (2000) showed that young people are more at risk of all types of violence than older people, and crimes like street mugging are far more common against young men in their teens and twenties, than against older women, for example.

Unruly teenage behaviour is a problem in some areas, but it's important to understand the underlying reasons for it. Persistent young offenders are more likely to:

• have a history of family conflict, or parents who are criminals
• lack supervision and discipline from their parents
• come from a poor, isolated background.

These kids often behave badly at school, play truant, under-achieve and are likely to end up unemployed or even homeless. They're allowed to spend far too much time hanging out with their mates, when they can easily get involved with drugs and crime.

It's a sorry state of affairs. But what is the Government doing to help these young people have better lives, and to tackle the problem of fear among adults?

Local authority Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) can draw on social services, the NHS, schools and the police and probation services to tackle the root causes of youth crime. Tougher sentencing options for young people, including anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), curfews and electronic tagging were introduced in 2000, but these policies have led to a steep rise in the numbers of young people in prison, resulting in concerns over their mistreatment as well as uncertainty over the effectiveness of custody as a deterrent for youngsters.

The notorious ASBOs have also come in for criticism. A report from the Institute for Public Policy Research shows that poor parenting and lack of adult supervision are at the root of youth crime, and suggests that ASBOs shouldn't be slapped onto kids without assessing their family background. The most at-risk families should receive more support to prevent their children from misbehaving.

Labour's 10-year Children's Plan, introduced in 2007, promises cash to provide 'positive activities' for young people to keep them out of trouble. The government also plans to invest in 'acceptable behaviour contracts', intended not just as a penalty, but to actively encourage better behaviour.

As well as legislative reforms and parenting support, better communication and understanding within communities is vital to improving relationships between teens and adults, as the programme shows. Communities can help to reduce crime rates through initiatives like Youth Offender Panels, which use volunteers to mentor young offenders and work with their families to draw up an agreement under which the young person might apologise to the victim of their crime, clean up graffiti, and so on. Kids are also helped to get back into schooling, and to tackle drug or alcohol problems.

Youth Inclusion Programmes aim to provide young people with a safe place where they can learn new skills, take part in activities, and get help with their education and careers guidance. These Programmes are staffed by workers and volunteers who mentor the young people and help to shift their attitudes to education and crime.