SOCIAL ACTION RESEARCH

(SLOUGH)

FACTSEvery year an estimated 70 000 school-aged offenders enter the youth justice system.

• According to Social Inclusion Unit report (2005), young men are the most likely perpetrators of crime.

• 18-20 year olds constitute 42%of all first time offenders.

• The most likely person to be equipped with a knife is a boy aged 14-19 years old.

• Four out of ten muggings are committed by children under 16 years old.

• 3,041 young offenders are currently being held in custody.

• The total number of young offenders in custody has been above 2500 every month since April 2000.

• Latest figures show that 1504 of the young people held in custody are 16 years old or younger.

• There are now over 20 different sentences, orders and agreements for those under 18 years old.

DID YOU KNOW...?

One in five 16-year old boys admitted to attacking someone with a knife, intending to cause serious harm (Youth Justice Board/Mori Survey)

WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE JOIN STREET GANGS?

Young people can join gangs for a number of reasons. They can join to get:

recognition

excitement

friends

acceptance

a sense of belonging

power over other people

money from crime

protection

territory

respect

SIMILAR SOCIAL ACTION PROJECTS

The Centre For Social Action:

They look into and research about gangs in detail to make sure they can do there best.They have put 10miollion pounds into creating a centre in east London to get youths off the street.

GANG AND GUN CRIME IN THE UK• London gangs have

around 20 to 30 members, and tend to commit crimes in smaller groups of three to six.

• In 2002 figures suggested there were as many as 30,000 gang members across England and Wales with numbers rising rapidly. The number of gang members aged under 16 had doubled in the past year and nearly half of all gang murders committed with firearms involved victims under the age of 18.