Neil Mitchell speaks with Lisa Ward about youth crime statistics

Youth crime in Melbourne has become a big talking point of late.

There’s great community concern surrounding young gangs and the spate of violent home invasions.

But statistics present an interesting picture.

The Sentencing Advisory Council has done research into court results for children.

They found a 43 per cent decline in the number of children aged 10-17 being sentenced over the past six years.

‘It’s a pretty significant decline,’ Lisa Ward, Deputy Chair of the Sentencing Advisory Council, explained on 3AW Mornings.

While the overall decline is significant, it found repeat offending was a growing issue.

‘While there are fewer younger offenders, and young people are committing a smaller proportion of all crime in the community, those that are offending are doing it a higher rate,’ she told Neil Mitchell.

‘We’re seeing an increase in the number of charges per case.’

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview