Young offenders
Southampton has a relatively young age profile, with the 0-18 population predicted to grow 4.3% by 2026. There is evidence to suggest that young people can be at higher risk of becoming involved in crime, either as a victim or an offender. The likelihood of a young person becoming involved in crime increases with negative risk factors such as, but not limited to experiencing adverse childhood experiences, family conflict, poor attendance and exclusion from school. The above factors highlight the importance of early intervention to prevent young people from becoming involved in crime in the first place.
12.6% of victims and 13.2% of suspects or offenders identified in Southampton during 2019/20 were aged under 18 years. The risk of young people becoming involved in crime also varies across crime groups, with certain crimes skewed towards younger age profiles, for example violent crime.
Across England and Wales, reoffending among young offenders remains high, with over a third of young people reoffending within 12 months. Similar patterns are seen in Southampton, with 38.4% of youth offenders reoffending. Although these figures may seem high, the Southampton youth offending rate has experienced a decline in recent years.
An executive summary, slide set and data compendiums produced as part of the 2019/20 refresh and the full assessment from the previous year are available below. For more information on crime in Southampton, see the Safe City Strategic Assessment page.