More than one in ten Dutch youths are suspected of committing a crime
A new study by the Research and Documentation Center (WODC) revealed that more than 1 in 10 Dutch youths have been suspected of committing a crime at least once, with estimated social costs for each group of teenagers amounting to approximately 2.6 billion euros.
The study followed about 500,000 individuals who completed primary education between 2008 and 2011, over a period of 11 years, with ages ranging from 12 to 23, providing researchers with reliable insights into youth crime behaviors.
The vast majority of the youth in the study, over 44,000, were suspected only once, while about 5,000 of them were suspected at least six times, with an average of nearly 13 suspicions for each. Researchers describe this small group as following 'intensive criminal pathways,' although being a suspect does not necessarily mean committing a crime.
The majority of the suspicions were related to property crimes such as theft, while vandalism, violent incidents, traffic violations, and drug crimes were also recorded frequently. This small group with the highest number of suspicions bears most of the social damage.
The study also indicates a 'turning point' between the second and fourth suspicion, suggesting that interventions may be most effective at this stage. It is encouraging that youth crime has generally declined since 2007/2008, although this trend has slowed down after 2018.