Justice System Involvement

How are we measuring justice system involvement? 

To get a sense of how many children are becoming involved in the criminal justice system, particularly in relation to violence, we’ve used the number of 10-17-year-olds cautioned or convicted for violent offences, reported by the Ministry of Justice. We consider violent crimes to include violence against the person (including offences such as assault and homicide), robbery (which is theft with the use or threat of force) and sexual offences (including rape and other sexual offences). This year, we’ve adapted our measure to count the number of children cautioned or convicted for violent offences, rather than the number of proven offences committed by children. 

It’s important to bear in mind that this indicator can be affected by changes in policing and the justice system.