Child Poverty Needs Assessment Chapter 7 Impacts of Child Poverty: Youth Safety

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1 Chapter 7 Impacts of Child Poverty: Youth Safety Key Findings: The literature finds an association between childhood poverty and behaviour. Children in low-income families are more likely to be excluded from school and involved in crime. It is during the earlier years when living in poverty creates the greatest risk of becoming involved in violence and crime later on. In Hackney, male and those of Caribbean, Mixed and African ethnicity have higher than average rates of fixed-term exclusion from school. There has been good progress made in youth crime reduction in Hackney over the last two years with a 41% reduction in the number of young people entering the criminal justice system ( first time entrants ); a 58% reduction in the number of custodial sentences handed out in the courts to young people from Hackney; a 41% reduction in the total number of court disposals involving Hackney young people. 9 of youth offences in Hackney are committed by males. 54.8% of youth offences in Hackney are committed by young people from a Black ethnic group. Young people from a Black background make up the highest proportion of first time offenders and recipients of closing orders of all ethnicities. The reasons behind this are likely to be complex. The mixed ethnic group commits the second highest proportion of youth offences (18.1%), has a disproportionately high first-time offence rate and receives a disproportionately high number of closing orders. These findings indicate that further examination of the needs of this group may be merited. Young offenders in Hackney are almost four times more likely to be NEET than other young people. Being out of work at a young age is associated with effects such as poorer mental and physical health 1, and a higher likelihood of being paid less and being welfaredependent in later life. Data Used: This section uses data from the Ministry of Justice s Youth Offending Information System (YOIS) the Local Authority Interactive Tool and data from the Department of Education on looked after children. It also makes use of previous pieces of work done by London Borough of Hackney including the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the Safer Hackney Board Report. Findings from literature and National data The literature finds an association between childhood poverty and behaviour is evident from an early age 2. Those growing up in low-income households

2 have a greater likelihood of parent-reported behaviour problems than their more affluent counterparts and are more likely to be excluded from school. Later outcomes include risk-taking behaviour, aggression and involvement in crime. In a large study conducted by Cambridge University, children from the quarter of families on the lowest incomes were two and a half times more likely to be convicted of a violent crime as adults than children from the wealthiest three quarters of families 3. Research shows that it is during the earlier years when living in poverty creates the greatest risk of becoming involved in violence later on. For example, a child growing up in a low income family when they are aged 6 to 11 is at higher risk of becoming involved in later violence than a child living in a low income family from ages 12 to 14 a time when peer influences are more important 4. Research by the Children s Commissioner 5 found that children eligible for free school meals are four times more likely to receive a permanent exclusion and three times more likely to receive a fixed-term exclusion than children who are not eligible for free school meals.1 Children with special educational needs (SEN) were eight times more likely to be permanently excluded than their peers and rates of exclusion were significantly higher than average among the Black Caribbean and the Gypsy and Roma Traveller ethnicities. Boys had rates of exclusion that were 3-4 times higher than those of girls. Being excluded can put children at risk of poorer life outcomes: 4 of year olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) have previously been excluded from school2 and over half of young offenders in custody have previously been excluded from school. Research finds that three times as many boys are found guilty of, or cautioned for, indictable offences as girls. 6 Children who have been in care have a fivefold increased risk of all childhood mental, emotional and behavioural problems and a six to sevenfold increased risk of conduct disorders 7 which puts them at significantly higher risk of becoming youth offenders. Being involved in criminal activity whilst young has been shown to have a negative impact on later life chances. Furthermore, the children of young offenders are more likely to live in poverty themselves, reinforcing the cycle of poverty 8. Approximately 6 of children in the youth justice system have significant speech, language and communication needs. 9 It is estimated that around 3 Farrington, D.P. (1989). Early predictors of adolescent aggression and adult violence. Violence and Victims, 4(2), 79 4 Hawkins, J.D., Herrenkohl, T., Farringtonk, D.P., Brewer, D., Catalano, R.F., & Harachi, T.W., A review of predictors of youth violence, in Loeber, R., & Farrington, D., P, 1998, Serious & violent juvenile offenders: Risk factors and successful interventions. Thousand Oaks, CA., Sage Publications Bryan, K et al. (2007). Language and communication difficulties in juvenile offenders, International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 42,

3 5 of children in custody have a learning difficulty. 10 One in 10 boys and one in five girls in Youth Offending Institutions (YOIs) have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder 11. Research commissioned by the Youth Justice Board has found that 19% of year olds in custody have depression, 11% have anxiety and 11% post-traumatic stress disorder. 12 A further study found that 85% of year olds in custody showed signs of personality disorder compared with 10-13% in the general population. 13 Barnados found that 4 of young people in custody have previously been homeless. 14 Most children raised in poverty do not become involved in crime. However, even if they do not get involved in crime, there are higher victim and fear of crime rates in disadvantaged areas 15 which mean a poorer quality of life for young people who live in these areas. Exclusion: characteristics of those excluded from school in Hackney In 2011/12 approximately 4% of pupils in Hackney were given a fixed term exclusion from school, with more boys (5%) than girls () experiencing exclusion. Approximately 7% of pupils from Caribbean backgrounds, 5% of pupils from Mixed backgrounds and 5% of pupils from African backgrounds were excluded in this time period, representing the ethnicities with the highest rates of exclusion. When further segmented by gender, these rates were even higher for boys of these ethnicities with Caribbean boys comprising 1 of all exclusions. 10 Department of Health. (2009). Healthy children, safer communities. London: Department of Health. 11 Fazell, D (2008). Mental disorders among adolescents in juvenile detention and correctional facilities: a systematic review and metaregression analysis of 25 surveys, Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 47(9), September 2008, Chitsebesan et al. (2006). Mental health needs of young offenders in custody and in the community, British Journal of Psychiatry, vol 188, National Institute for Mental Health. (2003). Personality Disorder: no longer a diagnosis for exclusion. Policy implementation guidance for the development of services for people with personality disorder. London: NIMHE

4 Percentage of pupils excluded by ethnic group 8% 7% 7% 6% 5% 5% 5% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3% 1% 1% 1% Source: DfE School Census 2011/12 Percentage of pupils excluded by ethnicity and gender, 2011/ % 6% 4% 6% 3% 5% 5% 6% 3% 4% 4% African Boys African Girls Bangladeshi Boys Bangladeshi Girls Caribbean Boys Caribbean Girls English/Scottish/Welsh Boys English/Scottish/Welsh Girls Indian Boys Indian Girls Mixed Boys Mixed Girls Turkish/Cypriot/Kurdish Boys Turkish/Cypriot/Kurdish Girls Other Ethnic Groups Boys Other Ethnic Groups Girls The graph below shows that pupils from African, Caribbean and Mixed ethnic backgrounds made up 27%, 24% and 1 of all exclusions in 2011/12. These figures are 6%pts, 11%pts and 3%pts higher than the proportion of the school population they make up meaning that these ethnicities are over represented in terms of exclusions, significantly so for those from a Caribbean background. 4

5 Proportion of exclusions by ethnic group 3 27% 25% 2 21% 24% 2 15% 1 5% 6% 13% 15% 1 5% 1 9% 7% 1 14% African Bangladeshi Caribbean English/Scottish/Welsh Indian Mixed Heritage Turkish/Cypriot/Kurdish All Other Ethnic Groups % from total Excl. head count % from total January head count Data on eligibility for FSM by ethnicity (see impacts chapter: educational outcomes) shows that pupils from African, Mixed and Caribbean ethnicities are disproportionately entitled to FSM, meaning that they are disproportionately likely to be suffering from poverty. These are the same ethnicities that are most likely to be excluded from school, indicating there is perhaps a link between poverty and behavioural issues. Youth Justice: characteristics of young offenders in Hackney In Hackney, the number of youth offences committed has fallen in recent years from 363 in 2010/11 to 333 in 2011/12 and 209 in 2012/13 (the latest year for which data is available). Illustrations of the progress made in youth crime reduction in Hackney over the last two years are: a 41% reduction in the number of young people entering the criminal justice system ( first time entrants ); A 58% reduction in the number of custodial sentences handed out in the courts to young people from Hackney; A 41% reduction in the total number of court disposals involving Hackney young people. In 2012/13, 9 of youth offences in Hackney were committed by males. This proportion rose from 86-7% in 2010/11 and 2011/12 due to the number of crimes being committed by females dropping at a much faster rate than the figure for males. This proportion is much higher than the 75:25 national split of male to female young offenders suggested by the literature. Young people from a Black background in Hackney are much more likely (by 28%pts) to commit youth offences than their proportion of the population 5

6 would suggest, as can be seen in the diagram below. This is also the case, but to a lesser extent, for those of mixed ethnic backgrounds (1pts). Ethnicity of youth offenders (relative to general population aged 10 17) White Mixed Asian or Asian British Black or Black British Chinese/ Other Source: YOIS As can be seen below, the majority of youth offences (55%) in Hackney are commited by those from a Black ethnic group and high numbers are also committed by those from mixed ethnic backgrounds (18%). Youth offences committed by those from a White background have dropped markedly between 2010/11 and 2012/13, from 23% to 1. 6

7 Source: YOIS Proportion of annual youth offences committed by ethnicity Black White Mixed Asian Chinese Unknown 2010/11 53% 23% 13% 5% 4% 2011/12 57% 18% 17% 5% 1% 2012/13 55% 1 18% 5% 1% 11% The majority of closed orders both custodial (46%) and community based (54%) are received by Blacks and a high proportion (57%) of first time offenders are Black as can be seen in the graphs below. Only 29% of Hackney s youth population is Black meaning that Black young people are disproportionately likely to be young offenders and therefore suffer from the negative consequences associated with this. Hackney are aware of this issue and have therefore set up the Team HackneyYoung Black Men Task Group in order to address issues that affect young black men. 7

8 % 54% Closed orders given by ethnicity Black or Black British % 17% 13% 4% Mixed White Asian or Asian British 1% Chinese or Other Ethnic Origin Total 2012/13 Custodial Orders Total 2012/13 Community Based Source: YOIS Young people of mixed race receive a high proportion of custodial (2) and community-based orders (2) relative to their proportion of Hackney s population (10.). They also represent a high proportion of first time entrants to the criminal justice sentence (16%) compared to the proportion of the population that they represent (1) as can be seen below. This puts them at higher risk of the poorer life outcomes associated with being a young offender and may be an indication that more examination of this group may be required in future First time entrants to youth justice system by ethnicity 54% 57% 9% 5% 19% 16% 18% 21% 2011/ /13 Chinese/Other Black Asian Mixed White Source: Safer Young Hackney Board Report 8

9 Black and mixed race children are more likely to be looked after than their proportion of Hackney s population would suggest. This puts them at higher risk of becoming young offenders as identified in the literature review. As can be seen in the graph overleaf historically, almost 1 of looked after children are subject to a conviction, final warning or reprimand during the year. This is higher than the rates of offending for looked after children in statistical neighbours (7.6%) and England (6.9%) and is substantially higher that the 1% average youth offending rate for all groups in Hackney. However information from the Department of Education shows a significant decrease in the percentage of children who have been looked after (aged 10 and above) continuously for at least 12 months who have been convicted or subject to a final warning or reprimand during the year to 5.4% in Hackney. Ethnicity of looked after children 3% 46% 3 White Mixed Asian or Asian British Black or Black British Other 3% 16% Source: Department of Education-Looked after children 9

10 Source: Local Authority Interactive Tool Percentage of LAC, aged 10+ subject to a conviction final warning or reprimand during the year Hackney Inner London England Hackney Inner London England Source: Department of Education-Looked after children Youth Justice: outcomes for Young Offenders in Hackney In Hackney, 23% of young offenders are NEET compared to an average of 7% for Hackney s young people. Being out of work at a young age is associated with scarring effects such as poorer mental and physical health 16, and a higher likelihood of being paid less and being welfare-dependent in later life. The average male wage penalty resulting from youth unemployment is 3,300 a year by the time someone reaches their 30s. 17 Therefore young offenders are likely to pay a heavy price in terms of future poverty