Accredited official statistics

Youth Justice Statistics: 2023 to 2024

Published 30 January 2025

Applies to England and Wales

The youth justice system in England and Wales works to prevent offending and reoffending by children. It is different to the adult system and is structured to address the needs of children.

This publication looks at data for the youth justice system in England and Wales for the year ending March 2024 (where available). It considers the number of children (those aged 10 to 17) in the system, their demographics, the offences they committed, the outcomes they received and the trends over time.

Main points

Stop and searches of children decreased compared to the previous year	↓	Stop and searches of children decreased by 4% and accounted for over one in five of the total stop and searches where age was known. Over three quarters of stop and searches of children resulted in no further action.
First time entrants to the youth justice system fell once again after a rise in the previous year	↓	There were just under 8,300 child first time entrants (FTEs). This was a decrease of 3% compared with the previous year. This followed the first year-on-year-increase seen in the number of FTEs in the previous year.
Almost two thirds of children remanded to custody received a non-custodial outcome	↓	Of those who did not receive a custodial sentence following a custodial remand 28% were acquitted or had their case dismissed while 72% received a non-custodial sentence.
The average time from offence to completion was at its highest level	↑	The average time from offence to completion was 225 days, the highest level it’s been. This was four days higher than the year ending March 2021 which was, at the time, impacted by court closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Offences resulting in a caution or court sentence increased	↑	The number of proven offences committed by children saw a year-on-year increase for the second consecutive year, rising by 4% to around 35,600.
Sentencing of children at court increased for the second consecutive year	↑	The number of sentencing occasions involving children increased by 8% to around 12,900 compared with the previous year, the second consecutive year-on-year increase.
The number of custodial sentences increased for the first time in the last 10 years	↑	The number of custodial sentences increased by 21% compared with the previous year to 660. This was the first year-on-year increase in custodial sentences of the last 10 years.
The number of children held in custody has fallen	↓	There was an average of 430 children in custody at any one time during the year, a fall of 3% against the previous year and the lowest number on record.
The reoffending rate increased for the second consecutive year	↑	The proven reoffending rate for children increased to 32.5%, a 0.3 percentage point increase on the previous year, while the number of children and the number of reoffenders both increased for the first time in the last 10 years.

For technical details see the accompanying Guide to Youth Justice Statistics

We would welcome any feedback to statistics@yjb.gov.uk

Things you need to know

This publication draws together a range of statistics about children in the youth justice system from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 (hereafter the year ending March 2024), where available.

The contents of the report will be of interest to government policy makers and those monitoring policy, the agencies engaged with the youth justice system at both national and local levels, academics, the voluntary and community sector and others who want to understand more about the system.

The data described in this publication come from various sources including the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), youth justice services (YJSs) and the Youth Custody Service (YCS). The Statistics and Analysis Team at the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) produce this report.

Details of all the administrative databases and bespoke collections used for this report can be found in the Guide to Youth Justice Statistics which provides users with further information on the data sources, data quality and terminology.

This is an annual report, with the focus on the year ending March 2024, however much of the data used in this report are drawn from quarterly publications and there may be more up to date data available. The purpose of this report is to provide an overall summary of the youth justice system, allowing users to find everything in one place. All data referenced are available in the Supplementary Tables that accompany this report. Separate tables covering YJS level information are also available, including in an open and accessible format.

Within this publication the words ‘child’ or ‘children’ are used to describe those aged 10 to 17. When the terms ‘child or young adult’ or ‘children and young adults’ are used, it means that 18 year olds may be included in the data.

Statistics around ethnicity are usually presented excluding those with an unknown ethnicity. In this publication, the figures for those with an unknown ethnicity have been included for arrests and sentencing occasions. This is due to the significant increase from the previous year and the volume of those with an unknown ethnicity. Comparing year-on-year changes for other ethnicities should be treated with caution for arrests and sentencing occasions due to this.

In this publication, we refer to the ‘secure estate for children and young people’. This refers to the part of the secure estate that is managed by the YCS, which is primarily for children though a number of 18 year olds may remain in this part of the secure estate until either their remand or sentence ends or they turn 19, whichever is earliest.

The YJB took the decision not to include a chapter on behaviour management within the secure estate for children and young people this year and instead have included a small section within the ‘Children in custody’ chapter looking at high level rates. This is because the YCS produce the Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate publication which presents these statistics comprehensively.

Percentage change and percentage point changes are used throughout the publication. Percentage change refers to the difference between two numbers from one year to the next and percentage point change refers to the difference between two percentages, which is used when comparing proportions.

Rounding conventions have been adopted in this publication to aid interpretation and comparisons. Figures greater than 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 100 and those smaller than 1,000 to the nearest 10. Rates have been reported to one decimal place. Percentages have been calculated from unrounded figures and then rounded to the nearest whole percentage. Unrounded figures have been presented in the Supplementary Tables.

The data in this report are compared with the previous year (the year ending March 2023 in most cases) and with the year ending March 2014 where available as a long-term comparator (10 years). Any other reference period is referred to explicitly.

Statistician’s comment

This publication draws together a range of statistics about children in the youth justice system. The latest figures highlight some continued reductions in some areas and increases in others.

Stop and searches of children decreased by 4% compared to the previous year while remaining at the same level for adults and the children accounted for just over one in five stop and searches where age was known. Arrests of children remained at the same level as the previous year.

First time entrants (FTEs) to the youth justice system decreased to the lowest level on record following an increase in the previous year and for the first time in the last 10 years, the number of FTEs receiving a court sentence was higher than those receiving a youth caution. Both proven offences and sentences given at court saw increases for the second consecutive year. The number of custodial sentences increased by 21% compared with the previous year and this was the first year-on-year increase in custodial sentences of the last 10 years.

The average number of days taken from offence to completion at court increased by 16 days from the previous year to 225 days, the highest level on record. This was four days higher than the year ending March 2021 which was, at the time, impacted by court closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Black children continued to be over-represented across most stages of the youth justice system, though there were continued reductions in the numbers and proportions they accounted for across several areas including stop and search, youth cautions, FTEs, children in custody and reoffending.

Flows through the youth justice system, year ending March 2024

1. Gateway to the youth justice system

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In the year ending March 2024:

• There were around 103,100 stop and searches of children, a decrease of 4% on the previous year. Stop and searches involving children accounted for over one in five stop and searches where age was known.

• Black children were involved in 19% of stop and searches (where ethnicity was known). This was 13 percentage points higher than the proportion of Black 10 to 17-year-olds in the 2021 population and the only ethnic group to be over-represented compared with the population.

• Over three quarters (76%) of stop and searches of children resulted in No Further Action, while 10% resulted in arrest.

• There were around 58,900 arrests of children for notifiable offences. This was a similar level to the previous year where there were around 58,800 arrests of children for notifiable offences. Arrests of children were 46% lower than the year ending March 2014.

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This chapter covers data on stop and searches, arrests and youth cautions given to children.

1.1 Stop and searches of children aged 10 to 17

Figure 1.1: Number of stop and searches of children, England and Wales, years ending March 2021 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 1, Table 1.1

In the year ending March 2024, there were around 103,100 stop and searches of children. This was a decrease of 4% compared with the previous year. Stop and searches involving children accounted for over one in five stop and searches where age was known.

Figure 1.2: Proportion of stop and searches of children by ethnicity, England and Wales, years ending March 2021 to 2024^{[footnote 1]}

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 1, Table 1.1

Since the year ending March 2021, the Home Office have collected stop and search data on both the officer observed ethnicity and the self-defined ethnicity of the person searched, for individual records. This means that if the self-defined ethnicity of the person searched was not stated, officer-observed ethnicity can be used as a replacement, for analytical purposes.

Black children were involved in 19% of stop and searches where ethnicity was known in the year ending March 2024. This was 13 percentage points higher than the proportion of Black 10 to 17-year-olds in the 2021 population and Black children were the only ethnic group to be over-represented compared with the general population.

Figure 1.3: Number and proportion of stop and searches of children by outcome type, England and Wales, years ending March 2021 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 1, Table 1.4

As figure 1.3 shows, the majority (around 78,400 or 76%) of stop and searches of children resulted in No Further Action, while around 10,200 (10%) resulted in arrest, 5,800 (6%) resulted in Community Resolutions with the remaining 8,700 (8%) resulting in other outcomes including Cannabis Warnings, Seizure of Property or Verbal Warnings.

Figure 1.4: Number and proportion of stop and searches of children by region, England and Wales, years ending March 2021 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 1, Table 1.5

London saw a 23% decrease in the number of stop and searches of children compared with the previous year, from just over 33,900 in the year ending March 2023 to around 26,000 in the latest year, while the North East and North West both saw increases of 18%, with the North East increasing from around 3,200 to 3,800 and the North West increasing from around 22,000 to just under 25,900 in the same time period.

In the year ending March 2021, stop and searches of children in the North West accounted for 12% of the national total whereas stop and searches of children in London accounted for 45%. The year-on-year changes in the last three years with increases in the North West and decreases in London have resulted these regions both accounting for 26% of the national total in the latest year. London and the North West are the only two regions to be over-represented in the proportion of the stop and searches compared to the 10 to 17 population with London accounting for 15% and the North West accounting for 13% 10 to 17 population.

Supplementary Table 1.6 adds some further context to the increases in the North West looking at individual police force areas. The number of stop and searches of children in Greater Manchester increased from around 2,300 in the year ending March 2021 to around 10,700 in the latest year – increasing by nearly five times as many, while in Cheshire, the number of stop and searches was over three times higher than the year ending March 2021, rising from around 980 in the year ending March 2021 to around 3,100 in the latest year.

1.2 Arrests of children aged 10 to 17

Figure 1.5: Number of arrests of children for notifiable offences, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 1, Table 1.7

In the year ending March 2024, there were around 58,900 arrests of children for notifiable offences. This was a similar level to the previous year where there were around 58,800 arrests of children. In the latest year, arrests of children were 46% lower than the year ending March 2014.

Figure 1.6: Number and proportion of arrests of children by offence group, England and Wales, years ending March 2023 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 1, Table 1.10

Figure 1.6 shows the number of arrests by offence group for the years ending March 2023 and 2024. Violence against the person offences accounted for almost a third of arrests in each of the last two years (31% in the year ending March 2023 and 32% in the year ending March 2024). This was followed by arrests for theft offences accounting for 18% of total arrests in each of the last two years, meaning these two offence groups made up about as many arrests as all other offence groups combined.

Figure 1.7: Number and proportion of arrests of children by ethnicity, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 1, Tables 1.7

In the year ending March 2024, the data shows that the number of arrests of Black children decreased by 25% compared with the previous year, however the number of arrests where ethnicity was unknown increased by 23% over the same period so changes compared with the previous year should be treated with caution. The Home Office publication from which these data are sourced says that due to a system change the Metropolitan Police Service, which has a much more ethnically diverse population compared with the England and Wales average, have reported an increased number of records where the self-defined ethnicity information is missing (from 2% in the year ending March 2022, 21% in the year ending March 2023 and up to 62% in the year ending March 2024).

Figure 1.8: Number and proportion of arrests of children by region, England and Wales, years ending March 2014, 2023 and 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 1, Tables 1.8

As shown in supplementary table 1.8, the number and proportion of arrests by region has been changing over time.

While the number of arrests has fallen across all regions compared with 10 years ago, the rate at which they’ve fallen has varied. London has seen the biggest decrease in arrests of children, falling by 68% from just under 23,800 in the year ending March 2014 to around 7,700 in the latest year. Over the same time period, arrests of children in the West Midlands fell by just 11%, while the remaining regions saw falls between 32% and 59%.

Compared with the previous year, only two regions saw decreases in the number of arrests of children, with a 22% fall in London and a 9% fall in the East of England. There was a 19% increase in the number of arrests of children in the West Midlands region, with all other regions increasing between 1% and 11% compared to the year ending March 2023.

For the first time in the last 10 years, London no longer has the largest share of the number of arrests of children and the proportion has fallen from 22% in the year ending March 2014 to 13% in the latest year. The South East region, whose proportion of arrests has remained relatively stable over the last 10 years now has the largest share with 16%, followed by the North West region with 13%.

1.3 Youth cautions

Figure 1.9: Number of youth cautions, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 1, Tale 1.14

In the year ending March 2024, around 4,300 youth cautions were given to children. This is a decrease of 14% since the previous year and a decrease of 84% against the year ending March 2014.

As shown in supplementary table 1.17, the number of youth cautions increased by 7% for public order offences and by 6% for theft offences compared with the previous year while there were decreases of 27% for possession of weapons offences, 26% for drugs offences and 16% for both violence against the person and criminal damage and arson offences.

Figure 1.10: Proportion of youth cautions given by ethnicity, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024^{[footnote 2][footnote 3]}

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 1, Table 1.16

In the year ending March 2024, for the third consecutive year, the proportion of youth cautions issued has decreased for Black children and increased for White children, while remaining stable for Asian and Other children.

Supplementary table 1.16 shows that all ethnic groups have seen decreases in the volume of youth cautions issued over the course of the decade. However, there was a smaller decrease for Black children when compared to other ethnic groups, leading to an increase in the proportion of youth cautions Black children made of the total, from 7% to 10% over the last decade.

Figure 1.11: Proportion of youth cautions given by type, England and Wales, years ending March 2020 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 1, Table 1.14

Figure 1.11 shows that conditional cautions are higher than simple cautions in the latest year with an increase of four percentage points compared with the previous year.

2. First time entrants to the youth justice system

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In the year ending December 2023:

• There were just under 8,300 child first time entrants (FTEs) to the youth justice system. This was a decrease of 3% from the previous year and FTEs were at the lowest level in the time series.

• For the first time in the last 10 years, there were more FTEs receiving a sentence at court than receiving a youth caution. This points to an increased use of diversionary outcomes.

• The biggest year-on-year decrease in FTEs compared with other ethnicities was among Black children, with a 6% fall. This compares to a 4% decrease for Asian children, a 3% decrease for White children and a 2% decrease for children with an Other ethnicity.

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This chapter covers data on trends, demographics, offence and outcome types of child FTEs. An FTE to the youth justice system is a child aged between 10 and 17 who received their first caution or court sentence and was residing in England and Wales at the time of their first offence. Data for the year ending March 2024 is not available, therefore data for the year ending December 2023 is presented in this chapter.

2.1 Trends in the number and proportion of child first time entrants to the youth justice system

Figure 2.1: Number and proportion of child first time entrants by type of outcome, England and Wales, years ending December 2013 to 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 2, Table 2.4

There were just under 8,300 FTEs to the youth justice system. This was a decrease of 3% from the previous year and FTEs were at the lowest level in the time series.

For the first time in the time series, there were more FTEs receiving a sentence at court than receiving a youth caution, with 55% of FTEs receiving a sentence at court in the year ending December 2023 compared with 48% in the previous year and 23% in the year ending December 2013. This points to an increased use of diversionary outcomes.

2.2 Characteristics of child first time entrants

Age group

Figure 2.2: Number of child first time entrants by age group, England and Wales, years ending December 2013 to 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 2, Tables 2.6

Compared with the previous year, the number of FTEs aged 10 to 14 decreased by 10% (or 230) to around 2,200, following an increase in the previous year. The number of FTEs aged 15 to 17 decreased by 1% (or 40) to around 6,100, continuing the year-on-year decreases of the last decade, albeit the smallest annual fall in FTEs for this age group.

Ethnicity

Figure 2.3: Number and proportion of child first time entrants by ethnicity, England and Wales, years ending December 2013 to 2023^{[footnote 4]}

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 2, Table 2.7

As shown in Figure 2.3, there has been a downward trend in the number of child FTEs for each ethnicity over the last 10 years. Those from a White ethnic background have fallen at the fastest rate, by 71% (from around 18,700 to around 5,500) over the last 10 years, resulting in the proportion they comprise of all child FTEs for which their ethnicity is known, reducing from 82% to 77%.

Compared with the previous year, there were small decreases in the number of FTEs in each ethnicity group, with FTEs among Black children seeing the biggest decrease of 6% (from around 1,200 to around 1,100), followed by Asian children falling by 4%, and FTEs from an Other ethnic background falling by 2%.

Compared to the year ending December 2013 the proportion of FTEs among children who are Black has increased from 11% to 15%, however this proportion has fallen in each of the last three years and is now down to the lowest level in the last seven years.

Sex

As shown in supplementary table 2.2, there have always been more boys than girls among FTEs. In the year ending December 2023, boys comprised 84% of total child FTEs, whilst making up 51% of the general population of 10 to 17-year-olds.

The number of child FTEs has fallen for both boys and girls over the last decade, with the larger percentage decrease seen in girls. The number of child FTEs who are girls has fallen by 76% (from around 5,500 to 1,300) over the last 10 years. This compares to a decrease of 62% for child FTEs who are boys over the same period (from around 17,900 to around 6,900).

2.3 Types of offences committed by child first time entrants

In the year ending December 2023, the three most common offences committed by child FTEs were summary offences excluding motoring (20%), violence against the person offences (17%) and possession of weapon offences (16%).

The proportion of child FTEs committing possession of weapon offences was 12 percentage points higher than 2013 while summary motoring offences was three percentage points higher compared to the same period. These are the only offence groups that have a higher number of FTEs compared to 10 years ago.

Figure 2.4: Number of child first time entrants by primary offence group, England and Wales, years ending December 2022 and 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 2, Table 2.2

Supplementary Table 2.2 shows that in the year ending December 2023 there were decreases compared with the previous year for child FTEs committing possession of weapons offences (down 19%), violence against the person offences (down 11%), summary offences excluding motoring (down 10%) and smaller decreases for criminal damage and arson offences, fraud and summary motoring offences. There were increases for child FTEs in all other offence groups with miscellaneous crimes against society (up 22%), robbery offences and theft offences (both up 21%) and public order offences (up 4%).

3. Children cautioned or sentenced

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In the year ending March 2024:

• Around 13,700 children received a caution or sentence, around the same level as the previous year and a fall of 67% from 10 years ago.

• The number of children cautioned or sentenced in the 10 to 14-year-old age group decreased by 4% compared with the previous year, whilst the number in the 15 to 17-year-old age group increased by 1%.

• Black and Mixed children remain over-represented, accounting for 11% and 10% respectively of all children cautioned or sentenced, with Black and Mixed children each accounting for 6% of the 10 to 17 population.

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This chapter looks at the trends and demographic characteristics of children who received at least one youth caution or court sentence.

3.1 Number of children who received a caution or sentence

Figure 3.1: Number of children given a caution or sentence, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 3, Table 3.1

Around 13,700 children received a caution or sentence in the year ending March 2024, which was around the same level as the previous year and 67% lower than 10 years ago. This long-term downward trend is likely in part due to an increase in the use of diversionary outcomes in recent years.

3.2 Demographic characteristics of children who received a caution or sentence

Figure 3.2: Age group and sex of children receiving a caution or sentence compared to the general 10 to 17 population, England and Wales, year ending March 2024

	Age 10 to 14	Age 15 to 17	Boys	Girls
Children receiving a caution or sentence	25%	75%	85%	15%
10 to 17 population	64%	36%	51%	49%

Supplementary Tables: Tables 3.3 and 3.4

Children aged 15 to 17 accounted for 75% of the total receiving a caution or sentence, while making up 36% of the 10 to 17 population in England and Wales.

Boys accounted for 85% of the total receiving a caution or sentence compared with 51% of the 10 to 17 population in England and Wales.

Figure 3.3: Number of children receiving a caution or sentence by sex, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024^{[footnote 5]}

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 3, Table 3.3

In the year ending March 2024, around 2,000 girls and around 11,400 boys received a caution or sentence. This represents a 12% increase for girls and a 3% increase for boys. These increases are likely due to the decrease in the number of children whose sex was unknown or not recorded compared with the previous year, which fell by 70% from around 880 to around 270.

Compared with the year ending March 2014, the numbers of girls and boys receiving a caution or sentence have fallen by 74% and 66% respectively.

Figure 3.4: Number of children receiving a caution or sentence by age, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 3, Table 3.4

In the year ending March 2024, the number of 10 to 14-year-olds cautioned or sentenced decreased by 4% compared with the previous year, while for 15-year-olds and 16-year-olds there was an increase of 1% and 2% respectively and no change for 17-year-olds over the same period.

The proportions of children cautioned or sentenced by age have remained broadly stable over the last 10 years.

Figure 3.5: Proportion of children receiving a caution or sentence by ethnicity, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024 ^{[footnote 6]}

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 3, Table 3.1

The proportions of children cautioned or sentenced by ethnicity have been consistent over the last five years. Black and Mixed children who were cautioned or sentenced remain over-represented, accounting for 11% and 10% respectively of all children cautioned or sentenced with Black and Mixed children each accounting for 6% of the 10 to 17 population.

4. Proven offences by children

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In the year ending March 2024:

• The number of proven offences committed by children saw a year-on-year increase for the second consecutive year, rising by 4% to around 35,600.

• The largest increase was seen in sexual offences with a 47% rise compared with the previous year to around 1,400 proven offences, the highest number for this group since the year ending March 2018.

• Violence against the person offences increased by 5% compared with the previous year and accounted for over a third (34%) of all proven offences.

• Increases were also seen in the acquisitive offence groups of theft and handling, robbery, and burglary, rising by 32%, 12% and 8% respectively compared with the previous year.

• There were just over 3,200 knife or offensive weapon offences resulting in a caution or sentence committed by children. This is a fall of 6% compared with the previous year and the sixth consecutive year-on-year decrease, though 20% higher than 10 years ago.

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This chapter looks at the trends of proven offences committed by children and proven knife and offensive weapon offences. A proven offence is one which results in a caution or court sentence.

4.1 Trends in proven offences by children

Figure 4.1: Number of proven offences by children, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 4, Table 4.1

The number of proven offences committed by children saw a year-on-year increase for the second consecutive year, rising by 4%. In the year ending March 2024, there were around 35,600 proven offences committed by children which resulted in a caution or sentence at court. While there was an increase in the latest year, the number of proven offences was 61% lower than 10 years ago.

Offence volumes

Supplementary Table 4.1 shows that five of the 11 offence groups have seen an increase in the number of offences in the latest year.

The largest increase was seen in sexual offences with a 47% rise compared with the previous year to around 1,400 proven offences, the highest number for this group since the year ending March 2018. Violence against the person offences increased by 5% compared with the previous year and accounted for over a third (34%) of all proven offences. Increases were also seen in the acquisitive offence groups of theft and handling, robbery, and burglary, rising by 32%, 12% and 8% respectively compared with the previous year.

The largest decreases compared with the previous year were seen in public order (-10%), motoring offences (-9%) and drugs (-7%) with smaller decreases seen in breach of statutory order, criminal damage, and other offences.

Across all offence groups, there were fewer proven offences compared to 10 years ago. Breach of statutory order, theft and handling, and criminal damage are the three offence groups to see the largest fall over this time (with breach of statutory order decreasing by 84%, theft and handling by 78%, and criminal damage by 75%).

In the latest year, most proven offences were committed by children who were^{[footnote 7]}:

• boys (85%)

• aged 15 to 17 (75%)

• White (73%).

Offence volumes as a proportion of total

Figure 4.2: Percentage point change in the proportion of proven offences committed by children, England and Wales, between the years ending March 2014 and 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 4, Table 4.1

Whilst the number of proven offences committed by children has fallen for all types of offence compared with 10 years ago, the proportions of these offence groups has been changing. Violence against the person offences have seen the largest increase in proportion, increasing from 22% in the year ending March 2014 to 34% of proven offences in the latest year.

Theft and handling stolen goods offences have seen the largest proportional decrease in the last 10 years, falling from 18% in the year ending March 2014 to 10% in the latest year.

4.2 Offence group by gravity score

Figure 4.3: Number of proven offences by children by offence group and gravity score band, England and Wales, year ending March 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 4, Table 4.6

An offence’s gravity is scored out of 8, ranging from 1 (least serious) up to 8 (most serious).

Figure 4.3 shows the violence against the person offence group made up the largest share of offences. Only a small proportion of offences (8%) within this group had a higher gravity score of 5 to 8. For offences within robbery, burglary and sexual offences, the majority had a higher gravity score of 5 to 8 (100%, 53% and 88% respectively).

In the latest year, around 210 proven offences committed by children had the highest gravity score of 8, which accounted for less than 1% of all proven offences. The majority of these offences were sexual offences (59%) and violence against the person (39%) (Supplementary Table 4.4).

Figure 4.4: Proportion of proven offences by gravity score band and demographic characteristics, England and Wales, year ending March 2024

		Gravity score band 1 to 4 (Less serious)	Gravity score band 5 to 8 (Most serious)
Age	10-14	87%	13%
Age	15-17	80%	20%
Ethnicity	Asian	78%	22%
Ethnicity	Black	69%	31%
Ethnicity	Mixed	78%	22%
Ethnicity	Other	79%	21%
Ethnicity	White	84%	16%
Sex	Girls	94%	6%
Sex	Boys	79%	21%

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 4, Table 4.5

Figure 4.4 shows that the proportion of proven offences with a gravity score in the higher band of 5 to 8, was greater for:

• those aged 15 to 17 (20% compared to 13% of offences committed by 10 to 14-year-olds)

• Black children (31%), Mixed children and Asian children (both 22%) and Other children (21%), while it was 16% for White children

• boys (21%, compared to 6% for girls).

4.3 Proven knife or offensive weapon offences committed by children

Figure 4.5: Number of knife or offensive weapon offences committed by children, resulting in a caution or sentence, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 4, Table 4.7

This section covers offences for which children received cautions or sentences for possession of an article with a blade or point, possession of an offensive weapon, or threatening with either type of weapon.

In the year ending March 2024, there were just over 3,200 knife or offensive weapon offences committed by children resulting in a caution or sentence, which is 6% fewer than the previous year but 20% greater than 10 years ago. This is the sixth consecutive year-on-year decrease.

In the latest year, the vast majority (99.7%) of knife or offensive weapon offences committed by children were possession offences and the remaining 0.1% were threatening with a knife or offensive weapon offences.

In the year ending March 2024, 61% of disposals given to children for a knife or offensive weapon offence were a community sentence. This proportion is broadly stable over the last 10 years.

The proportion of children sentenced to immediate custody was 7% in the last year, which is the same level it has been for the last three years.

5. Sentencing of children

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In the year ending March 2024:

• There were just under 12,900 occasions where children were sentenced at court, which is 8% higher than the previous year. This was the second consecutive year-on-year increase in the number of sentencing occasions.

• The number of custodial sentences increased by 21% compared with the previous year to 660. This was the first year-on-year increase in custodial sentences of the last 10 years.

• The average time from offence to completion was 225 days, the highest level it’s been. This was 16 days higher than the previous year and four days higher than the year ending March 2021 which was, at the time, impacted by court closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• For the third consecutive year, the average custodial sentence length has decreased. It fell by six months from 23.4 months in the year ending March 2022 and by two months from 19.5 months in previous year to 17.5 months.

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This chapter focuses on trends of children proceeded against at court, time taken from offence to completion at court and sentences received at court by children by type of sentence. The Ministry of Justice changed the data source for these statistics which has resulted in changes to historic data published in earlier year’s publications. Details of the changes can be found on the technical guidance for Criminal Justice Statistics.

5.1 Children proceeded against

Figure 5.1: Number and proportion of children proceeded against at court, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 5,Table 5.1

There were around 17,900 children proceeded against at court in the year ending March 2024. This was an increase of 8% compared with the previous year and the second consecutive year-on-year increase, though was 63% lower than 10 years ago. Two thirds (67%) of these proceedings were for indictable offences, 19% were for summary non-motoring offences and the remaining 14% were for summary motoring offences (Supplementary Table 5.1).

5.2 Average time from offence to completion at court

Figure 5.2: Average time in days from offence to completion at court, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 5, Table 5.2

Figure 5.2 shows the average (mean) number of days taken from the day of the offence or alleged offence to the day the case was concluded at court with the child being found guilty or acquitted.

In the year ending March 2024, the average time from offence to completion was 225 days, the highest level it’s been. This was 16 days higher than the previous year, following two consecutive year-on-year decreases and four days higher than the year ending March 2021 which was, at the time, impacted by court closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is also reflected across the adult system, as evidenced in the Criminal Court Statistics.

Figure 5.2 shows that compared with the previous year, the average days for:

• offence to charge or laying of information increased by 13 days (11%) to 133 days

• charge or laying of information to first listing decreased by three days (8%) to 29 days

• first listing to completion increased by six days (10%) to 64 days.

5.3 Sentencing of children at court

Figure 5.3: Number and proportion of sentencing occasions of children at court by sentence type, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 5, Table 5.4

There were just under 12,900 occasions where children were sentenced at court in the year ending March 2024, which is 8% higher than the previous year, and the second consecutive year-on-year increase. The number of sentencing occasions was 62% lower than 10 years ago.

There was an increase in the number of custodial sentences compared with the previous year for the first time in the last 10 years. There were 660 custodial sentences given in the year ending March 2024, compared with around 550 in the previous year (an increase of 21%). However, it is still lower than 10 years ago when there were around 2,300 custodial sentences (a decrease of 71%).

As Figure 5.3 shows, the proportion of custodial sentences has remained broadly stable, varying between 5% and 7% of all sentences over the last 10 years.

Supplementary Table 5.4 also shows that in the year ending March 2024, of the 12,900 sentencing occasions of children for all types of offences there were:

• around 9,200 community sentences (an increase of 11% compared with the previous year and accounting for 72% of all sentences)

• just over 3,000 other types of sentences (a decrease of 1% compared with the previous year and accounting for 23% of all sentences). These include absolute and conditional discharges, fines, and other less common disposals.

5.4 Sentencing of children by type of offence

Figure 5.4: Number and proportion of sentencing occasions of children by type of offence, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 5, Table 5.5

Of the 12,900 occasions in which children were sentenced in the year ending March 2024, 69% were for indictable^{[footnote 8]} offences and 31% were for summary offences. The proportion of sentencing occasions of children for indictable offences was four percentage points higher than the previous year and the highest it’s been in the last 10 years.

Of the 8,800 occasions on which children were sentenced for indictable offences in the latest year, 82% involved a community sentence, whereas of the 4,000 occasions in which children were sentenced for summary offences, 49% involved a community sentence.

In the year ending March 2024, 7% of the occasions in which children were sentenced for indictable offences involved a sentence to immediate custody, compared with 1% for summary offences.

5.5 Sentencing of children for indictable offences by ethnicity^{[footnote 9]}

Figure 5.5: Number and proportion of sentencing occasions of children for indictable offences by ethnicity, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 5,Table 5.8

In the year ending March 2024, the number of occasions on which children were sentenced at court for indictable offences varied by ethnicity, however changes compared to previous periods should be treated with caution due to the large increase in the proportion of sentence occasions where ethnicity was unknown. In the latest year there were:

• around 3,900 sentencing occasions for children whose ethnicity was unknown, accounting for 44%, making up the largest group for the first time

• around 3,700 sentencing occasions for White children accounting for 41% of total sentencing occasions

• around 570 sentencing occasions for Black children, accounting for 6% of total sentencing occasions

• around 360 sentencing occasions for Mixed children, accounting for 4% of total sentencing occasions

• around 250 sentencing occasions for Asian children, accounting for 3% of total sentencing occasions

• around 80 sentencing occasions for Other children, accounting for 1% of total sentencing occasions.

5.6 Average custodial sentence length^{[footnote 10]}

Figure 5.6: Average custodial sentence length in months by type of offence, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 5, Tables 5.5

For children sentenced to custody, the average custodial sentence length varied based on the type of offence the child was sentenced for. In the latest year, the average custodial sentence length was:

• 17.5 months for all offences

• 18.3 months for indictable offences

• 3.8 months for summary offences.

The average custodial sentence length has decreased by six months compared with the year ending March 2022 and by two months compared with the previous year to 17.5 months.

The average custodial sentence length for indictable offences decreased by just over two months compared to the previous year.

For summary offences, the average custodial sentence length has remained broadly stable between 3.5 and 4.5 months over the last 10 years.

6. Use of remand for children

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In the year ending March 2024:

• Almost two thirds (62%) of children remanded to youth detention accommodation did not subsequently receive a custodial sentence.

• Children remanded in custody accounted for 43% of the average custodial population for children in the latest year, a slight decrease from 44% in the previous year but more than double compared with 10 years ago when it was 21%.

• There were around 11,100 remand episodes of which the majority (81%) were bail remands, with 11% being community remands with intervention, and youth detention accommodation remands accounting for 8%.

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This chapter presents data on trends of use of remand for children aged 10 to 17, characteristics of the custodial remand population and the outcomes for children following custodial remand. The term ‘remand to youth detention accommodation’ refers to the remand decision given at court to remand a child to custody.

6.1 Types of remand given to children

Figure 6.1: Number and proportion of remands given to children by type, England and Wales, years ending March 2020 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 6, Table 6.2

Figure 6.1 shows the number of remand decisions made for outcomes occurring in each year. Where a child was given more than one remand decision during the court process, only the most restrictive is shown. Where a child was given multiple outcomes on the same day, only the most restrictive is counted.

There were around 11,100 remands given to children in the year ending March 2024, which was a 6% increase compared with the previous year. These were made up of:

• bail remands, which accounted for 81% of total remand decisions

• community remands with intervention, accounting for 11% of total remand decisions

• remands to youth detention accommodation which accounted for 8% of total remand decisions.

For remand decisions given in the year ending March 2024, the breakdown of demographics (Supplementary Table 6.1) shows:

• most episodes (89%) involved boys

• the majority (81%) involved children aged 15 to 17

• most episodes were given to White children (63%), while Black children and Mixed children were the next highest (17% and 13% respectively)^{[footnote 11]}.

6.2 Average monthly population of children on remand in custody

Figure 6.2: Average monthly population and proportion of children on remand in custody, secure estate for children and young people in England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 6, Table 6.3

There was an average monthly population of around 190 children remanded in custody at any one time in the year ending March 2024, which was 6% lower than the previous year and 29% lower than 10 years ago.

Children remanded in custody accounted for 43% of the average youth custody population in the latest year, a slight decrease from 44% in the previous year, but more than double compared with 10 years ago (21%).

Supplementary Tables 6.3 and 6.4 show that for children remanded in custody, the highest numbers were:

• in a Young Offender Institution (68%)

• boys (98%), a proportion which has remained broadly stable over the last 10 years

• from an ethnic minority group (59%), a decrease from 61% in the previous year

• aged 17 (49%), a decrease from 54% in the previous year.

Figure 6.3: Proportion of children in youth custody on remand by ethnicity, youth secure estate in England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024^{[footnote 12]}

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 6, Table 6.3

Supplementary Table 6.3 shows that in the year ending March 2024, the average number Black children in custody on remand decreased by 21% compared with the previous year to the lowest level seen over the last 10 years, though remain over-represented as a proportion of total, accounting for 27% of children remanded in custody compared with 6% in the general 10 to 17 population.

In the latest year, the average number of Mixed children in custody on remand accounted for 19% of the overall custodial remand population and is the only ethnic group to have seen a real terms increase in the numbers of children on remand over the last 10 years (increasing from an average of 29 in the year ending March 2014 to 33 in the year ending March 2024).

6.3 Outcomes for children following remand to youth detention accommodation^{[footnote 13]}

Figure 6.4: Number and proportion of outcomes following remand to youth detention accommodation by type, England and Wales, years ending March 2018 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 6, Table 6.6

In the year ending March 2024, the number of outcomes for children remanded to youth detention accommodation was 34% higher than the previous year. Almost two thirds (62%) of outcomes for children remanded to youth detention accommodation at some point during court proceedings did not subsequently result in a custodial sentence. This was one percentage point lower than the previous year and 11 percentage points higher than the year ending March 2018.

Of the 600 outcomes which did not result in a custodial sentence, 72% resulted in a non-custodial sentence and 28% resulted in acquittal, dismissal or were not proceeded against.

The proportion of children remanded to youth detention accommodation at some point during court proceedings who did not subsequently result in a custodial sentence varies by court type. For those who received an outcome at a magistrates’ court, 72 % did not subsequently receive a custodial sentence compared with 47% for those who received an outcome at the Crown Court.

The proportion of outcomes for those remanded to youth detention accommodation, who did not go on to get a custodial sentence, varies by ethnicity from 64% for Mixed children, 61% for White children, 56% for both Asian children and Other children and 54% for Black children.

7. Children in youth custody

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In the year ending March 2024:

• There was an average of 430 children in custody at any one time during the year, a fall of 3% against the previous year and the lowest number on record.

• The number of young adults aged 18 held in the secure estate for children and young people more than doubled from around 60 in the previous year to 150 in the latest year. This was due to significant pressures on capacity in the adult estate.

• The proportion of children held in custody on remand remained high at 43% (down from 44% compared to the previous year), the second successive fall but still the third largest proportion since the time series began.

• The number of Black children in custody decreased by 11% compared to the previous year, though Black children continued to be over-represented accounting for around a quarter of all children in custody.

• The number of custodial episodes ending increased by 13% compared with the previous year, reversing the downward trend seen in recent years.

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This chapter presents data on trends in the secure estate for children and young people in England and Wales. Data is presented for children aged 10 to 17 by demographic characteristics, offence types and legal basis for detention. Data is presented on children aged 10 to 17 and young adults aged 18 on proportions of population by age group, length of time in custody and behaviour management. Data on the secure estate for children and young people which includes breakdowns for demographic characteristics, offence types and legal basis for children and young adults aged 18 can be found in the monthly youth custody data produced by the Youth Custody Service.

7.1 Average monthly youth custody population

Figure 7.1: Average monthly number and proportion of children aged 10 to 17 and young adults aged 18 in custody, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 7, Table 7.1

In the year ending March 2024, there was an average of 430 children aged 10 to 17 in custody in the secure estate for children and young people, a fall of 3% from the previous year and of 65% since the year ending March 2014.

Due to significant pressures on capacity in the adult secure estate, ministers made the interim decision to move away from the practice of automatic transition to the young adult estate by an individual’s 18th birthday, instead transitioning them up until their 19th birthday. This resulted in the number of young adults aged 18 held in the secure estate for children and young people more than doubling from around 60 in the previous year to 150 in the latest year. The proportion of young adults aged 18 in the secure estate was 26% in the year ending March 2024, compared with 13% in each of the previous three years and between 8% and 10% in the years ending March 2014 to March 2020.

7.2 Average monthly population of children in custody by sector

Figure 7.2: Average monthly number of children in custody by sector, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 7, Table 7.3

As in previous years, in the year ending March 2024 the majority of children in custody were held in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) (69%) with 18% in Secure Children’s Homes and the remaining 14% in Secure Training Centres.

7.3 Legal basis for detention of children in custody

Information on the legal basis for detention relates to the most serious legal basis for which a child is placed in custody.

Figure 7.3: Average monthly number of children in custody by legal basis for detention, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 7, Table 7.4

Figure 7.3 and supplementary Table 7.4 show that while the number of children in custody has decreased for all legal basis types over the last 10 years, the proportions of these legal basis types have been changing:

• The proportion of children held in custody on remand remained high at 43% of the children’s population, double what it was 10 years ago but slightly down from the previous year when it was 44%. This was the third largest proportion since the time series began.

• Children serving a Detention and Training Order (DTO) accounted for 25% of the children’s population in the latest year, down from 57% 10 years ago and slightly up from the previous year when it was 24%.

• The proportion of those serving a Section 250 (formerly Section 91) sentence accounted for 18% of the children’s population. It had steadily increased from 18% in the year ending March 2014 to 28% in the year ending March 2019 but has now fallen for four of the last five years.

• The proportion of children on Other sentences (which include other long-term sentences) continues to make up the smallest share at 14% in the latest year, an increase of three percentage points compared with the previous year and the highest proportion in the time series.

7.4 Offences resulting in children going into custody

Figure 7.4: Proportion of children in custody by offence group, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 7, Table 7.5

Figure 7.4 shows that the proportion of children in custody for violence against the person offences has increased in nine of the last 10 years and did so again in the latest year after a small drop in the previous year, accounting for over two thirds (68%) of the population of children in custody. Supplementary table 7.5 shows that the average number of children in custody for violence against the person offences fell by just 5% (from around 310 to 290) between the years ending March 2014 and 2024 compared with a 65% fall for all children in custody over the same period.

Over the last 10 years, the proportion of children in custody for robbery has fallen by 27 percentage points, from 32% to 5%, falling by 94% in real terms from an average of around 400 children in the year ending March 2014 to just over 20 in the latest year.

7.5 Demographics of children in custody

Figure 7.5: Demographics of children in custody compared to the general 10 to 17 population, England and Wales, year ending March 2024

	Aged 10 to 14	Aged 15 to 17	Boys	Girls
Youth custody population	4%	96%	98%	2%
10 to 17 population	61%	39%	51%	49%

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 7, Table 7.7

In the latest year, most children in custody were boys (98%), which is a slight increase on the previous year (97%) and an increase compared to 10 years ago (95%).

Those aged 17 have made up over half of the population of children in custody in each of the last 10 years and accounted for 55% in the latest year (Supplementary Table 7.7).

Figure 7.6: Proportion of children in custody by ethnicity, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024 ^{[footnote 14]}

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 7, Table 7.8

While all ethnic groups have seen a decrease in the average custody population over the last 10 years, as the whole custodial population has decreased, they have been falling at different rates which has led to a change in the proportion each ethnic group comprises.

Figure 7.6 shows that over the last 10 years:

• the proportion of White children in custody has been falling, from 60% to 49%, about the same as the previous year following two successive increases

• the proportion of Mixed children has increased the most, from 9% to 18%

• the proportion of Black children is slightly higher (24% compared to 22%), though there have been decreases in each of the last three years

• the proportion of Asian or Other children has also increased from 8% to 9% and has remained consistently between 8% and 10%.

Supplementary Table 7.8 shows that in each of the last five years, White children made up less than half of the youth custody population, accounting for 49% in the latest year.

In the year ending March 2024, the average number of Black children in custody decreased by 11% compared to the previous year though continued to be over-represented, as did Asian or Other children but the number of Mixed ethnicity children increased by 17% while White children decreased by 4%.

7.7 Legal basis episodes ending by nights spent in custody

Figure 7.7: Number and proportion of legal basis episodes ending by nights spent in custody in England and Wales, years ending March 2019 to 2024

	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Median number of nights	88	90	91	91	84	91

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 7, Table 7.15

In the year ending March 2024, around 1,400 legal basis episodes in custody ended. This was an increase of 13% compared to the previous year.

In the latest year, around 10% (around 140) of legal basis episodes lasted more than one year which is an increase compared to the previous year (7%).

The median number of nights spent in custody per legal basis episode was 91 nights in the year ending March 2024. This was an increase of seven nights compared with the previous year, and the joint highest number along with the years ending March 2021 and 2022 since the year ending March 2019.

7.8 Trends in the number of behaviour management incidents

Figure 7.8: Trend in the number of behaviour management incidents for children and young adults in custody in England and Wales, years ending March 2021 to 2024^{[footnote 15]}

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 7, Table 7.20

In the latest year, the number of incidents per 100 children and young adults in custody fell for self-harm and separations but rose slightly for use of force and remained the same for assaults. Full details can be found in the Youth Custody Service publication Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate: Update to March 2024.

7.9 Deaths in custody

In the year ending March 2024, no children died in the secure estate for children and young people.

Between the years ending March 2014 and 2024, there were three deaths in the secure estate for children and young people (see the formal Prisons and Probation Ombudsmen Reports).

8. Proven reoffending by children

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For the year ending March 2023 aggregated cohort^{[footnote 16]}:

• The proven reoffending rate for children increased to 32.5%, a 0.3 percentage point increase on the previous year. This was the second consecutive year-on-year increase in the reoffending rate for children.

• The number of children in the cohort and the number of reoffenders both increased for the first time in the last 10 years, while the number of reoffences increased for the second consecutive year. Compared with the previous year, the number of children in the cohort increased by 4% to around 14,300, the number of reoffenders increased by 5% to around 4,600 and the number of reoffences increased by 12% to around 20,200.

• Children who reoffended committed an average of 4.34 reoffences (frequency rate), the highest this rate has been in the last 10 years. This is a 7% increase compared with the previous year (4.07) and 34% higher than 10 years ago (3.25).

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This chapter covers data on trends in proven reoffending by sentence type and demographics as well as trends in numbers of children in the cohort, children who reoffended and the number of proven reoffences committed by children.

8.1 Children in the cohort, children who reoffend and reoffences

Figure 8.1: Number of children in the cohort, children who reoffended and reoffences, England and Wales, for children entering the cohort in the years ending March 2013 to March 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 8, Table 8.1a

As shown in Figure 8.1, the number of children in the cohort and the number of reoffenders both increased for the first time in the last 10 years, while the number of reoffences increased for the second consecutive year. Compared with the previous year, the number of children in the cohort increased by 4% to around 14,300, the number of reoffenders increased by 5% to around 4,600 and the number of reoffences increased by 12% to around 20,200.

8.2 Reoffending rate and frequency rate

Figure 8.2: Reoffending rate and frequency rate for children, England and Wales, for children entering the cohort in the years ending March 2013 to March 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 8, Table 8.1a

For the year ending March 2023 cohort, the proven reoffending rate for children increased to 32.5%, a 0.3 percentage point increase on the previous year. This was the second consecutive year-on-year increase in the reoffending rate for children.

Children who reoffended committed an average of 4.34 reoffences (frequency rate), the highest this rate has been in the last 10 years. This is a 7% increase compared with the previous year (4.07) and 34% higher than 10 years ago (3.25).

8.3 Reoffending by demographic characteristics of children

Figure 8.3: Reoffending rate for children by sex, England and Wales, for children entering the cohort in the years ending March 2013 to March 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 8, Table 8.2a

Boys have always made up the majority of the cohort, and the proportion they comprise has been increasing over the last 10 years, from 80% to 86% in the year ending March 2021, remaining at that level for the last two years (Supplementary Table 8.2a).

As shown in Figure 8.3, the reoffending rate for boys has been higher than for girls in each of the last 10 years. In the latest year, the reoffending rate for boys was 34.0%, compared to 23.4% for girls. The most recent year saw an increase of 0.4 percentage points for boys compared with a 0.2 percentage point decrease for girls.

Supplementary Table 8.2a shows that the average number of reoffences per reoffender (frequency rate) rose by 6% to 4.25 for boys in the last year and by 9% to 5.21 for girls, with girls having a higher frequency rate than boys for the fourth consecutive year. These are the highest values in the last 10 years for both boys and girls.

Figure 8.4: Reoffending rate by age group, England and Wales, for children entering the cohort in the years ending March 2013 to March 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 8, Table 8.3a

Most children who entered the aggregated cohort were aged 15 to 17, with the proportion decreasing from 80% in the year ending March 2022 to 77% in the year ending March 2023 (Supplementary Table 8.3a), which was the same proportion as the year ending March 2013.

In the latest year, 10 to 14-year olds had a reoffending rate of 32.0%, a rise of 1.3 percentage points from the previous year, compared with 32.6% for 15 to 17-year olds, which was around the same level as the previous year.

Supplementary Table 8.3a shows that the frequency rates for 10 to 14-year olds was higher than 15 to 17-year olds after being at the same level the previous year. The frequency rate for 10 to 14-year olds increased by 25% compared with the previous year to 5.09 reoffences per reoffender and there was a small increase of 1% for 15 to 17-year olds compared to the previous year at 4.13 reoffences per reoffender.

Figure 8.5: Reoffending rate for children by ethnicity, England and Wales, for children entering the cohort in the years ending March 2013 to March 2023^{[footnote 17]}

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 8, Table 8.4a

As shown in Figure 8.5, there have been increases in reoffending rates compared to the previous year for White, Asian and Other children while falling for Black children. The number of children in the cohort increased for White children while falling for Asian children, Black children and Other children.

The biggest year-on-year increase of the reoffending rate was for Other children, rising by 6.4 percentage points in the latest year to 33.1%, though the relatively small numbers of children in the cohort (130) tends to make the reoffending rate for these children more volatile than other ethnic groups.

For Asian children, there was a 0.9 percentage point increase in the reoffending rate compared with the previous year, to 27.3% but this was still the lowest reoffending rate among all ethnic groups.

The reoffending rate for White children increased for the second consecutive year, this time by 0.7 percentage points to 34.5% compared with the previous year and was the second highest reoffending rate among all ethnic groups.

The reoffending rate for Black children decreased by 0.9 percentage points compared with the previous year, to 38.0% but it remained the highest reoffending rate among all ethnic groups.

8.4 Reoffending by criminal history

As might be expected, the rate of reoffending increases with the number of previous offences committed. For the year ending March 2023 aggregated cohort, those with no previous offences had a reoffending rate of 16.7%, compared to 72.8% for those who had committed 11 or more previous offences (Supplementary Table 8.6a).

Those who had committed no previous offences made up 51% of all children in the aggregated cohort, the highest proportion in the time series and up one percentage point from the previous year but committed only 17% of all proven reoffences. Those with 11 or more previous offences made up only 9% of all children in the aggregated cohort but committed 29% of all proven reoffences.

8.5 Reoffending by index offence

The offence that leads to an offender being included in the offender cohort is called the index offence. Supplementary Table 8.5a shows that for the year ending March 2023 cohort:

• Children who committed a summary non-motoring offence as their index offence made up the largest proportion of all index offences committed by children, accounting for 20% of the cohort with a reoffending rate of 35.4%.

• Violence against the person offences made up the second largest index offence group, at 15%, with a reoffending rate of 24.3%, a fall of 4.3 percentage points from the previous year and the lowest this has been in the last 10 years.

• Children with an index offence of theft had the highest reoffending rate which was 44.4%.

8.6 Reoffending by index disposal

Figure 8.6: Reoffending rate for children by index disposal, England and Wales, for those entering the cohort in the years ending March 2013 to March 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 8, Table 8.7a

The index disposal is the caution or type of sentence the child received for their index offence.

As shown in Figure 8.6, in the year ending March 2023 aggregated cohort, children who received a caution had the lowest reoffending rate (22.2%) of all index disposal types, a fall of 0.8 percentage points from the previous year and the lowest level it’s been in the last 10 years.

The reoffending rate remains highest for those released from custody, consistent with the pattern for the last 10 years. For children released from custody in the year ending March 2023, 66.1% reoffended, an increase of 6.3 percentage points from the previous year, the first increase since the year ending March 2020 and the highest level it’s been since the year ending March 2019.

Proven reoffending rates by index disposal should not be compared to assess the effectiveness of sentences, as there is no control for known differences in offender characteristics, the offence committed, and the type of sentence given.

9. Criminal histories of children

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In the year ending December 2023:

• Children cautioned or sentenced had an average of 1.3 previous cautions or sentences, the joint lowest in the time series. This was the same as the previous year and a decrease from 2.5 in the year ending December 2013.

• For the fourth consecutive year, more children didn’t have a prior criminal history, with 57% of those cautioned or sentenced having no previous offences.

• Of the children cautioned or sentenced who had a criminal history of 15 or more previous cautions or sentences, 44% were sentenced to immediate custody compared to just 1% for those with no previous criminal history.

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This chapter presents data on trends of criminal histories for children with a caution or conviction. Data for the year ending March 2024 is not available, therefore data for the year ending December 2023 is presented in this chapter.

9.1 Criminal histories of children

Figure 9.1: Average number of previous cautions or sentences of children cautioned or sentenced for any offence by ethnicity, England and Wales, years ending December 2013 to December 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 9, Table 9.2

In the year ending December 2023, children cautioned or sentenced had an average of 1.3 previous cautions or sentences, the joint lowest in the time series. This was the same as the previous year and a decrease from 2.5 in the year ending December 2013.

Figure 9.1 shows that the average number of previous cautions or sentences for children cautioned or sentenced varied by ethnicity. In the year ending December 2023, slight decreases were seen for Asian children and Black children, while there was a slight increase for Other children and the number of previous cautions or sentences remained the same for White children.

Figure 9.2: Number and proportion of children cautioned or sentenced with no criminal history compared with those with a criminal history, England and Wales, years ending December 2013 to 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 9, Table 9.3

For the fourth consecutive year, more children didn’t have a prior criminal history, with 57% of those cautioned or sentenced being in the last two years not having a prior criminal history.

The number of children cautioned or sentenced with a criminal history was around 6,300 in the year ending December 2023. This has decreased by 3% since the previous year when the figure was around 6,500 and by 83% since the year ending December 2013 when the figure was around 36,800.

9.2 Criminal histories of children – indictable and summary offences

Figure 9.3: Number and proportion of children cautioned or sentenced for summary and indictable offences by number of previous cautions and sentences, England and Wales, year ending December 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 9, Table 9.4

Supplementary Table 9.4 shows that while the number of summary offences were much lower than indictable offences in the year ending December 2023, (around 3,600 summary offences compared to around 11,000 indictable offences), the offending histories are quite similar despite indictable offences being more serious. 46% of children cautioned or sentenced for summary offences had a previous caution or sentence compared to 42% for indictable offences.

Figure 9.4: Proportion of children cautioned or sentenced with no criminal history compared to those with 15+ previous cautions or sentences by type of disposal, England and Wales, year ending December 2023

Disposal type	No criminal history	15+ cautions/ sentences
Caution	45%	0%
Absolute discharge	0%	5%
Conditional discharge	3%	14%
Fine	1%	4%
Community sentence	45%	19%
Immediate custody	1%	44%
Other	3%	14%
Number of cautions and sentences	8,256	57

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 9, Table 9.4

For children cautioned or sentenced with a criminal history of 15 or more previous cautions or sentences, the largest proportion were sentenced to immediate custody (44%). For those with no previous cautions or sentences, most received a caution or community sentence (45% each).

10. Comparisons with the adult system

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In the year ending December 2023:

• There were around 86,800 first time entrants (FTEs) to the criminal justice system, of which around 8,300 (10%) were children and around 78,500 were adults (90%). There was a year-on-year decrease of 3% for child FTEs and a 2% decrease for adult FTEs.

In the year ending March 2024:

• There were around 494,000 stop and searches where age was known and children accounted for 21% of these, which was the same as the previous year. The number of stop and searches of children decreased by 4% compared with the previous year against a 3% decrease for those aged 18 and over.

• The number of arrests of children remained static compared with the previous year while arrests of adults increased by 8%.

• The number of sentencing occasions increased by 8% for children against the previous year compared with a 3% increase for adults. Children accounted for just 1% of all sentencing occasions.

For the year ending March 2023 reoffending cohort:

• Children had a higher reoffending rate (32.5%) than adults (26.0%), as has been the case for the last 10 years. The reoffending rate increased by 0.3 percentage points for children and by 1.1 percentage points for adults (aged 18 and over).

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This chapter looks at the comparisons at different stages of the criminal justice system between children aged 10 to 17 and adults aged 18 and over.

10.1 Stop and searches

Figure 10.1: Number and proportion of stop and searches by age group, England and Wales, years ending March 2021 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 10, Table 10.1

There were around 494,000 stop and searches where age was known and children accounted for 21% of these which was the same as the previous year. The number of stop and searches of children decreased by 4% compared with the previous year against a 3% decrease for those aged 18 and over. Over three quarters (76%) of stop and searches involving children resulted in no further action compared with two thirds (67%) for people aged 18 and over.

10.2 Arrests

Figure 10.2: Number and proportion of arrests by age group, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 10, Table 10.3

There were around 720,000 arrests where age was known in the year ending March 2024 which is an 8% increase compared to the previous year, but 29% fewer compared to 1.02 million arrests 10 years ago.

The number of arrests of children remained static compared with the previous year while arrests of adults increased by 8%.

This is the third year in succession to see an overall increase in the number of arrests, following a long-term trend of numbers reducing year on year.

Arrests of children comprised 8% of total arrests where age was known in the latest year, which is consistent with the last five years but less than the 11% seen 10 years ago. Arrests of adults form 92% of the total, an increase from 89% seen 10 years ago.

10.3 First time entrants to the criminal justice system by age group

Figure 10.3: Number and proportion of first time entrants to the criminal justice system by age group, England and Wales, years ending December 2013 to 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 10, Table 10.4

In the year ending December 2023, there were around 86,800 FTEs to the criminal justice system, which was 2% lower than the previous year. The number of child FTEs decreased by 3% and the number of adult FTEs decreased by 2%.

In the latest year, 10% of the overall number of FTEs were children (aged 10 to 17), a similar proportion to that seen over the last six years but reduced from 14% 10 years ago.

In the year ending December 2023, the number of child FTEs is 65% lower than in the year ending December 2013, and the number of adult FTEs is 45% lower.

10.4 People sentenced at court by age group

Figure 10.4: Number and proportion of sentencing occasions of people by age group, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024^{[footnote 18]}

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 10, Table 10.6

In the year ending March 2024, there were around 996,000 court sentencing occasions where age was known. Of these, around 12,900 (1%) were for children.

The overall number of sentencing occasions increased by 3% compared with the previous year. Sentencing occasions increased for children by 8% compared with the previous year, while there was a 3% increase for adults compared with the previous year.

For indictable offences, there was an increase of 14% compared with the previous year for children and an increase of 12% for adults, while for summary offences, there was a 2% decrease for children compared with the previous year and a 1% increase for adults.

10.5 Custody population by age group

Figure 10.5: Number and proportion of people in custody by age group, England and Wales, 30th June 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 10, Table 10.8

On 30 June 2024 there were around 87,900 people in custody, the highest number in the last 10 years. Children accounted for 0.5% (around 440) of the custodial population while adults (aged 18+) accounted for 99.5% (around 87,400). These proportions have remained relatively stable over the last 10 years.

The custodial population for adults increased by 2% from the previous year compared with a 5% decrease for children.

10.6 Knife and offensive weapon offences resulting in a caution or sentence by age group

Figure 10.6: Number and proportion of knife or offensive weapon offences resulting in a caution or sentence, by age group, England and Wales, years ending March 2014 to 2024

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 10, Table 10.9

In the latest year, children were involved in around 3,200 proven knife or offensive weapon offences, a fall of 6% from the previous year. Adults were involved in around 15,400 of these type of offences, a decrease of 3% from the previous year.

In the latest year, children committed 17% of proven knife or offensive weapons offences, down one percentage point on the previous year.

10.7 Reoffending

Figure 10.7: Annual reoffending rates by age group, England and Wales, years ending March 2013 to 2023

Supplementary Tables: Chapter 10, Table 10.7

For the aggregated cohort in the year ending March 2023, children had a higher reoffending rate (32.5%) than adults (26.0%), as has been the case for the last 10 years. The reoffending rate increased by 0.3 percentage points for children and by 1.1 percentage points for adults (aged 18 and over).

In the year ending March 2023, the number of children in the cohort increased by 4% from the previous year, the first increase of the last 10 years while the number of adults in the cohort decreased by 3% following an increase in the previous year, while in the same period, the number of children who reoffended increased by 5% and the number of adults who reoffended increased 1%.

Children who reoffended had a higher number of reoffences (frequency rate) (4.34) than adults (4.00) in the year ending March 2023 for the second consecutive year.

Further information

Most of the figures in this report have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time. Steps are taken to improve the completeness and accuracy of this information each year.

Other figures have been taken from official published statistics, which may be National Statistics. Further details on the sources of information are given in the Guide to Youth Justice Statistics.

Accompanying files

As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:

• a Guide to Youth Justice Statistics providing further information on the data included in this publication and how these data are collected and processed. This includes a glossary of the terms used in this bulletin

• set of additional annexes

• an Infographic

• a set of Supplementary Tables, covering each section of this bulletin

• a set of open explorable data

• a set of dashboards showing local level data.

Accredited official statistics

National Statistics status are ‘accredited official statistics’ that meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value.

Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

These accredited statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in January 2014. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.

It is the Youth Justice Board’s responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards. If concerns arise about whether these statistics are still meeting the appropriate standards, these will be discussed promptly with OSR.

Contact

Press enquiries should be directed to the Youth Justice Board’s Communications Team:

Email: comms@yjb.gov.uk

Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to:

Rhian Manley

Head of Statistics and Analysis

Youth Justice Board

Email: rhian.manley@yjb.gov.uk

Email:statistics@yjb.gov.uk

General information about the official statistics system of the UK is available from: www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk

Next update: 29 January 2026

URL: www.gov.uk/government/collections/youth-justice-statistics

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Produced by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales

1. Where ethnicity was known. Ethnicity was unknown for 2% of stop and searches of children aged 10 to 17 in the year ending March 2024. ↩

2. Ethnicity is police officer identified. There is not a Mixed ethnicity group in officer identified ethnicities, so caution should be used if comparing with data using self-identified ethnicities. ↩

3. Where ethnicity was known. Ethnicity was unknown for 15% (around 700) of total youth cautions given in the year ending March 2024. ↩

4. Where ethnicity was known. In the year ending December 2023, the ethnicity was unknown for 13% of child FTEs. ↩

5. In the year ending March 2024, children cautioned or sentenced where the sex was unknown accounted for 2% of the total. ↩

6. Where ethnicity was known Ethnicity was not known for 2% of children cautioned or sentenced in the year ending March 2024. ↩

7. In the year ending March 2024, the ethnicity of the child was not known for 2% of the proven offences, and the sex of the child was not known for 2% of the proven offences. ↩

8. Indictable offences include triable either way offences. ↩

9. Data on summary level offences are not included as many defendants are not required to be present when sentenced so data on ethnicity is limited. ↩

10. Excludes life and indeterminate sentences. ↩

11. Where ethnicity was known. In the year ending March 2024, the ethnicity of children was unknown for 2% of remand episodes. ↩

12. Where ethnicity was known. In the year ending March 2024, the ethnicity was unknown for 4% of the monthly average remand population. ↩

13. The Ministry of Justice changed the data source for these statistics which has resulted in changes to historic data published in publications prior to the year ending March 2023. Details of the changes can be found on the technical guidance for Criminal Justice Statistics ↩

14. Proportions are calculated where ethnicity is known. The ethnicity was unknown for 2% of the youth custody population in the year ending March 2024. ↩

15. Data on separations in Young Offender Institutions is only available from April 2022 and has not been included. ↩

16. Proven reoffending by children entering the cohort between April 2022 and March 2023. The focus in this chapter is on the annual data based on the aggregate of the four quarterly offender cohorts. ↩

17. This figure is based on children for whom ethnicity is known. In the aggregated cohort for the year ending March 2023, ethnicity was unknown for 8% of children who entered the cohort. ↩

18. Only sentencing occasions where age group was known are included. In the year ending March 2024, age group was unknown in 8% of sentencing occasions. ↩