Youth offenders' interactions and re-contact with the Nova Scotia justice system
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Released: 2019-02-07
Understanding the characteristics of repeat offending helps assess the strain that a small group of people put on the justice system, and in the development of crime prevention strategies.
Consistent with previous research, a small proportion of youth offenders are responsible for a large share of crime, and these individuals can have a substantial impact on the justice system. A new study examines the ongoing interaction between youth offenders and the justice system in Nova Scotia. Specifically, within the two years of this study, about one in eight (12%) youth accused of an offence in Nova Scotia were chronic offenders.
Detailed information is provided in the Juristat article, "Youth re-contact with the Nova Scotia justice system, 2012/2013 to 2014/2015," released today. This study explores the experiences of a cohort of youth aged 12 to 17 who came into contact with Nova Scotia police for committing a criminal offence in 2012/2013.
The study integrates—for the first time—data from police services, the court system and restorative justice programs. The study examines which of these parts of the justice system youth offenders came into contact with over a two-year period. That is, did youth offenders' interactions with the justice system end with police? Did they move into the court system, were they accepted into a restorative justice program, or both? The study also examines the extent of any repeated contacts these youth had with police in Nova Scotia for a new offence (a re-contact) over the same time period.
Chronic offenders responsible for almost half of youth contacts with police
From April 2012 to March 2013, 2,838 youth had contact with Nova Scotia police. Within two years of their initial 2012/2013 offence, half (50%) of these youth offenders had repeated contacts (re-contacts) with Nova Scotia police. These 2,838 youth offenders were responsible for 8,117 contacts with police.
About one in eight (12%) youth who had contact with police in 2012/2013 were chronic offenders—that is, they had five or more re-contacts with police within two years of their initial contact. Chronic offenders had a median of nine contacts with police and were responsible for 3,677 contacts, or almost half (45%) of the youth contacts, with Nova Scotia police over two years.
Chart 1
Youth accused of a criminal offence in Nova Scotia, by type of offender and proportion of all youth contacts and all youth accused, 2012/2013 to 2014/2015
Youth who go to court are most likely to be chronic offenders
For their initial 2012/2013 contact with police, most (71%) youth offenders did not go to court or have contact with a restorative justice program—a type of diversionary program which focuses on addressing the harm caused by crime. The remaining youth offenders had further contact with other parts of the justice system (referred to in this study as pathways): 15% went to court, 11% were accepted into a restorative justice program and a small group of offenders (3%) had contact with both court and restorative justice.
Re-contact with police was most common among youth who went to court. Just over three-quarters (77%) of youth with a court pathway had a re-contact with Nova Scotia police within two years of their initial contact.
In comparison, less than half of youth who had contact with police only (45%) or with police and a restorative justice program (46%) had a re-contact within two years. Overall, chronic offending was more than twice as common among youth who went to court (31%) than those with other pathways in the justice system (9% of youth who had contact with police only and 6% of youth with restorative justice contact). About one in seven youth offenders (15%) who had contact with court and a restorative justice program were chronic offenders.
Regardless of the type of crime, youth offenders who went to court were most likely to be chronic offenders compared with youth with other pathways. Of note, restorative justice information presented in this article is based on youth who were referred and accepted into a restorative justice program. It is therefore possible that other factors outside the scope of this study, such as the process of referral and acceptance into such programs, may have had an impact on the conclusions or outcomes of these programs, and consequently re-contact with police.
Chart 2
Youth re-contact with Nova Scotia police, by type of re-contacts and pathways, 2012/2013 to 2014/2015
Youth who go to court are more likely to have a re-contact with police within three months
One in five youth offenders (20%) had a re-contact with Nova Scotia police within three months of their initial 2012/2013 contact.
Youth who ended up in court for their initial contact were quickest to return to the justice system. Among youth offenders who went to court, 4 in 10 (40%) had a re-contact with police within three months of their initial contact. In comparison, much smaller proportions of youth who had contact with police only (16%) or had contact with police and a restorative justice program (11%) had a re-contact within three months.
Within six months of the initial contact, just over half (51%) of youth who went to court had a re-contact with police. In comparison, a smaller proportion of youth who had contact with police only (24%) or who had contact with police and a restorative justice program (18%) had a re-contact within six months.
Note to readers
This article looks at youth who were accused of a criminal offence where charges were laid or the incident was cleared otherwise by Nova Scotia police from April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013. The term 'offender' is used throughout the article to describe youth accused, and it is not necessarily an indication that charges were laid or that the accused was found guilty of the crime.
It is important to note that, while a contact with Nova Scotia police in 2012/2013 was considered the initial point of contact for this study, history of any previous contact among offenders prior to this date was outside the scope of this study.
Analysis presented in this article is based on data from the Nova Scotia re-contact file. This file links data from three different sources: the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, the Integrated Criminal Courts Survey and, for the first time, special data extracts from the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Information System. For additional information on the pathways file, please consult Nova Scotia re-contact analytical file.
Definitions
Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on addressing the harm caused by crime while holding offenders responsible for their actions, by providing an opportunity for victims, offenders, and communities to identify and address their needs in the aftermath of a crime. In Canada, restorative justice can take place at any point in the justice system, including before or after charges are laid by the police or the Crown, and before or after court sentencing.
A contact with the justice system is defined as an official intervention—namely, when an accused is charged by Nova Scotia police in relation to an incident or when an accused is cleared otherwise (includes warnings, cautions, alternative measures and extrajudicial sanctions).
A re-contact is defined as a subsequent contact with police in Nova Scotia (a new official intervention) in the two years following the individual's first contact with police from April 2012 to March 2013, inclusively. It is possible that a re-contact may have occurred after this period or with other police services outside the Nova Scotia boundaries. However, in these instances, the re-contact was not captured in this study.
A pathway corresponds to the part(s) of the justice system with which an accused individual came into contact following an initial contact with police. This article looks at four possible pathways: contact with police only; contact with police and the court system; contact with police and a restorative justice program; and contact with police, a restorative justice program and the court system. Information on youth in Nova Scotia's correctional system was not included because the data were unavailable.
Products
The article "Youth re-contact with the Nova Scotia justice system, 2012/2013 to 2014/2015" is now available as part of the publication Juristat (85-002-X).
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).
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