This is the profile of a young person committing violent crime in Sheffield – or, at least, according to new data by the Government of children in the Steel City.
A new study published on Thursday (March 30) has suggested what Sheffield’s young violent criminals have in common. In an analysis of 15,900 Steel City youngsters, the paper ask how many of them were cautioned or sentenced for an offence while under the age of 17, and what social backgrounds they shared.
It looks at children with violent offences on their records and asks how old they are, their achievements in school and whether they were ever suspended, all the way to if they receive free school meals, have special education needs and if they frequently skip school.
It is hoped the analysis will identify where children who fall into offending are being let down and reshape funding to help young people before they do something stupid.
The analysis looked at 15,900 children aged 10 – 17 who went to school in Sheffield between 2002 and 2017. Out of them, 790 (five per cent) committed an offence of any kind, and 260 (two per cent) committed a serious violent crime, ranging from assault to using a weapon to arson and more.
The outcomes show the sad impact that poverty, low incomes or being excluded/suspended from school have on a young person’s prospects. For example, out of the 790 children who committed or were cautioned for an offence, three out of four were receiving or eligible for free school meals. That figure rose to four in five for children who committed a violent offence.
Interestingly, the most common age for a first offence was 17 – but, for violent offences, that number drops to 16.
Another shocking outcome was that out of the children who committed a violent offence, nine out of 10 were identified as having special education needs (SEN).
And nine out of 10 young violent offenders were considered “persistently absent” from school.
Below are the major common factors outlined by the study that shows what Sheffield’s young offenders have in common and where they are being let down by the system.
1. Here are the common factors among Sheffield's young offenders
A study of 15,900 children from Sheffield has sought to find the common social backgrounds of young offenders. Out of those 15,900 children aged 10 - 17, approximately 790 committed an offence of any kind and 260 committed a serious violent offence - just two per cent of the whole. Photo: rawpixel.com / Roungroat
2. Age
In an interesting quirk, the most common age for a first offence among all the children was 17 - but the most common age for a first serious violence offence was 16. Photo: David Kessen
3. Predominately male
The study found of Sheffield young violent criminals, 85 per cent of them were male. Of the children who committed or were cautioned for any offence at all, 78 per cent of them were male. This is broadly in line with the national averages. Photo: Valerii Honcharuk
4. Race
The racial diversity of the 15,900 children in the study was made up of 79% white, 5% mixed, 4% black and 9% Asian. The racial diversity of the 790 children to commit any offence was 74% white, 9% mixed, 5% black and 9% Asian. The racial diversity of the 260 children to commit a serious violent offence was 73% white, 10% mixed, 8% black and 7% Asian. Photo: Seventyfour - stock.adobe.com