WHAT DO WE KNOW? 

There are many ways in which society currently gathers information on youth crime. One way is through formal records that exist through studies. An example is the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) which began in 1994. This survey started by sampling over 22,000 youth using self- reporting and interviewing the teachers and parents of participants below the age of 12. The same children were interviewed every two years. The NLSCY is beneficial because it enabled the analysis of specific triggers and pathways leading to crime. Self- report surveys are used to allow individuals to report their own criminal behaviour. In 1957, Nye and Short were the first to use this in studying delinquent behaviour. They found that the true occurrence of crime was much higher than reported through formal means. The official records of police reports only captured youth crime detected and did not account for all delinquency occurring under the radar. This is referred to as the “dark figure of crime”, meaning incidents of delinquency undetected or unreported by the police. 

Another form of data collection is the use of victimization surveys. These aim to uncover the occurrence of criminal victimization over a period of time. The voluntary nature of the survey allows researchers to uncover the manner of the crimes. Victimization surveys are useful when combines with other methods as this form of analysis restricts certain info such as details regarding the offender. Additionally, people who are victimized often will not report the incident in situations such as relationship abuse because the data is often gathered over the phone at home. As well, the data gathered by victimized individuals may be influenced by the media’s portrayal of crime. In the 1980’s the first wide scale form of this analysis was done through the Canadian Urban Victimization Survey with 61,000 participants. In 1993, the start of the Violence against Women Survey, which only tested women, opened the analysis on domestic abuse and sexual assault. 

In order to better understand and predict youth crime, society must draw from a variety of sources of measurement. Overall, the sources of youth crime data are mainly root from the media, field research, police reports, self- reporting, victimization surveys and court statistics. Today, a common form of data gathering is seen through the General Social Survey which occurs every five years. It now includes almost 25,000 Canadians over the age of 15 and allows researchers to compare and map crime trends over time. The reason that we must draw on multiple sources is because data varies by source and can be interpreted differently depending on the receiver of information. In order to best approach youth crime, society must understand what type of crime is most often committed. Media often skews our knowledge on the crimes being committed by youth by revealing only the most severe cases.

Politics plays a significant role in framing data because individuals in power have the ability to decide the approaches to youth crime statistics. If the state only pays attention to reported numbers, this will not be an accurate representation of the reality regarding juvenile crime. Children required to complete community service for their crimes, who are not put through the system, will not be reported in the official statistics. Thus, multiple sources must be used to analyze an accurate image of crime in order to provide the best approaches for helping the community. Additionally, official statistics are social constructions of the youth crime problem. Police statistics are gathered through a Uniform Crime Report (UCR), which is standardized and publicly available. It is typical for more seasoned police to report less events that occur. Thus, the police have considerable discretion as they can choose what is reported. This suggests that police reports are a reflection of which areas are more often surveilled, as well are open to discrimination in terms of which youth are reported. This is a form of construction of justice.   

SOURCES:

 “A Statistical Snapshot of Youth at Risk and Youth Offending in Canada.” Public Safety Canada , 31 Jan. 2018, www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/ststclsnpsht-yth/index-en.aspx#sec02.3.

Department of Justice. “Recent Changes to Canada’s Youth Justice System.” Youth Justice, 23 Sept. 2015, http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/yj-jj/tools-outils/sheets-feuillets/amend-modif.html.

Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Communications and Marketing Branch. “Ministry of Children and Youth Services.” A Comparative Analysis of Youth Justice Approaches, Government of Ontario, Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Communications and Marketing Branch, http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/professionals/oyap/roots/volume4/comparative_analysis.aspx.

“National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY).” Surveys and Statistical Programs, Statistics Canada, 10 Nov. 2010, www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=4450.

“Topic 1: Youth Crime in Canada.” Law Lessons, 2016, http://www.lawlessons.ca/lesson-plans/2.4.youth-crime-in-canada.

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