This profile provides, for the first time, a definitive picture of ACT young people aged 12 to 25 years who are in the justice system. Statistics are presented on young offenders by age, gender, Indigenous status, use of cautions and diversionary conferencing, offence type, and non ACT residents in the ACT justice system. In addition, statistics are presented on young people charged by the police; young people appearing before ACT courts; young people serving Children's Court orders, including at Quamby Youth Detention Centre; and young people in the adult justice system. The report also sets out general profiles of at risk school aged young people aged 12 to 15 years, at risk young people aged 16 to 17 years and at risk young adults aged 18 to 25 years, and includes a number of case studies of such young people. The second part of the report compares the ACT data on young offenders with similar data from other jurisdictions across Australia. While concluding that ACT young people's involvement in the criminal justice system is similar to that of other jurisdictions, this comparative analysis also produces specific findings, including a finding that relatively low numbers of cautions and diversionary conferences are given to young people in the ACT compared to the number of charges.
Report to the ACT Chief Minister's Department by the Australian Institute of Criminology.
Note: This report is the second part of the report by the Chief Minister's Department titled Profile of young offenders in the ACT 2001 - 2002.