Multiple Risk Factors

The Youth Lifestyles Survey found that the greater the number of risk factors in a young person’s life, the greater the chances of them becoming an offender. Thus, although only 6% of boys under 18 had at least four risk factors, over three-quarters (85%) of them had committed at least one offence at some point in their lives, and more than half (57%) were currently persistent or serious offenders.

Relationship between the number of adverse factors and offending 

Click here for an enlarged version of the above graph

Campbell, S. & Harrington, V. (2000) Youth Crime: Findings from the 1998/99 Youth Lifestyles Survey, Home Office research Study 126. London: Home Office
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/hors209.pdf

Initial findings from Liddle & Solanki’s study of 41 Persistent Young Offenders appear to confirm the cumulative effect of risk factors. Whilst this is not a substantive piece of research, initial data analysis has revealed that on average there was a presence of nearly six risk factors present in the lives of each of the Persistent Young Offenders studied.

• 49% had particular problems with drug and/or alcohol use

• 49% experience of care system breakdown

• 39% family breakdown /divorce

• 34% contact loss with significant people

• 25% special schools/or pupil referral unit

• 20% special educational need

• 10% specialist units

• 7% child protection register

Liddle & Solanki (2000) Missed Opportunities: Key Findings & Implications from an Analysis of the backgrounds and Life Experiences of a Sample of Persistent Young Offenders in Redbridge. NACRO.