New analysis on repeat offending among children and young people

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Data First team has published analysis providing critical new insights into the characteristics and needs of young people who repeatedly offend. Data First is an ambitious data-linking programme led by the MoJ and funded by ADR UK.

The study uses the Data First: Cross-justice system dataset – specifically linked criminal court records and offender assessment data. Leveraging advances in data linking, it has provided a unique opportunity to explore the characteristics, offending patterns and needs of children and young people who frequently offend. Providing a richer picture of the complex needs and challenges faced by these children and young people can inform understanding of how they can best be supported.

Key findings

• Higher levels of need: Young people who offend frequently exhibited significantly greater challenges, including issues around education, relationships, and substance misuse.
• Early onset of offending: The majority (70%) were first convicted between ages 14-16, with a substantial subset continuing frequent offending into adulthood.
• Socioeconomic factors: 27% of young people who offend frequently lived in the most deprived 10% of neighbourhoods.
• Changing offence patterns: While theft was the most common youth offence (23%), adult convictions showed an increase in drug- and violence-related offences.

This research has already gained interest from youth justice policy teams and independent sentencing reviews, with implications for shaping future policy interventions aimed at reducing reoffending and improving outcomes for children and young people in the justice system. Additionally, the MoJ team plans to share a structured codebase to support researchers in working with linked justice datasets.

Read the full analysis.

For enquiries about these statistics, contact the Data First team.