New knowledge review shows that youth criminality has decreased

A new knowledge review of youth criminality shows that youths commit both traditional crimes and also internet-related and more serious weapon-related crimes. The most common crimes are less severe thefts and vandalism. There are relatively few youths who commit serious violent crimes, such as shootings and knife crimes.

Criminality among youths has decreased since the 1990s, both nationally and internationally. The explanation is primarily that youths’ routine activities having changed over time, and that they spend ever less time in risky environments. There have also been changes in parental control, as well as in the relationship of youths to schools and youths’ attitudes towards criminality. However, research shows that this reduction has slowed down for certain types of crime, such as shoplifting and vandalism.

One conclusion from the knowledge review is that the best way of preventing criminality among youths is to target initiatives direct at individuals, to influence and reduce their propensity to commit crimes. This is best done by implementing crime-prevention methods at an early stage of children’s lives, and to focus these on individuals, families, schools, and other central features in society. Other important initiatives are to work out and implement methods that have been shown to have a crime-prevention effect. Such initiatives can, for example, consist of increased security camera monitoring, and increased initiatives in locations with a high concentration of crimes.

Identified knowledge gaps

The knowledge review shows that there is relatively good knowledge about the primary causes of some youths committing crimes, but that there are several gaps in the knowledge where research is needed. Some examples:

• Has the proportion of youths that do not commit crimes risen over time, at the same time as those youths who actually do commit crimes commit more crimes?
• Knowledge of the crimes that youths commit on the internet, both their scope and their character.
• Knowledge of the scope and character of serious violence. In particular, increased understanding is needed of the mechanisms that form the basis for youths becoming involved in organised crime environments.
• Knowledge of the interplay between individuals and the environment, in social media and in other internet-related activities.

Read the report “Ungdomsbrottslighet – en kunskapsöversikt”

The report will be discussed at a webinar arranged by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention and the Swedish Research Council on 26 November.