A discussion of whether or not youth crime and violence is increasing in severity and frequency.
This paper reviews the statistics and empirical data concerning the perceived increase in youth crime. The paper examines reasons why crime has not actually increased. The paper provides a focus on Canadian crime and the Young Offender’s Act (YOA), outlining the many changes evident since the implementation of the YOA. The writer illustrates how varying police procedures effect the statistics available of youth violence.
The topic of youth violence and the debate within the public realm as to whether or not it is increasing, both in quantity and severity, is a highly complex and disputed question. If a friend of mine asked me to address this issue, I would recount to them the issues revolving crime statistics and analysis, the tendency for statistics to be misrepresented by the media, and the differing opinions of scholars within the field.