NCJ Number
214400
Date Published
2006
Length
68 pages
Annotation
This study examined the prevalence of involvement in "delinquent youth groups" and the nature of the delinquent and criminal behavior of members of such groups (individually and as groups) among youth ages 10 to 19 in the general household populations of England and Wales.
Abstract
A "delinquent youth group" (DYG) is defined as consisting of three or more youth who spend a lot of time together in public places and who have been together as a group for 3 months or more, have engaged in delinquent or criminal behavior as a group in the last 12 months, and have at least one distinguishing group feature (a name, an area, a leader, or rules). In 2004, 6 percent of youth (both girls and boys) ages 10-19 were estimated to belong to a DYG. Sixty-three percent of individuals in a DYG committed at least one "core offense" (robbery, assault, burglary, criminal damage, theft, and selling drugs) in the last year. This compared with 26 percent of youth not in DYGs who committed such offenses. Forty-five percent of youth in DYGs had used an illegal drug in the last year, compared with 15 percent of nonmembers. The most common DYG delinquent activity as a group was using drugs. Other common group activities were threatening or frightening people, making graffiti, damaging property, and using force or violence. The most common feature of a DYG was having an area or place the group "called its own." These findings were obtained from an analysis of the 2004 Offending, Crime, and Justice Survey. It included questions that assessed levels of involvement in DYGs among individuals between the ages of 10 to 19. The survey was designed to measures offending in the "general household population;" consequently, it was unlikely to obtain information from serious offenders/groups involved in more serious criminal activities. 5 figures, 27 tables, 53 references, and appended questionnaire