Domestic violence by juvenile offenders

Full report: Domestic and family violence by juvenile offenders: offender, victim and incident characteristics (PDF, 508.4 KB)

Release date:  Embargo: 10:30am, Tuesday 2 October, 2018
 
A new study of domestic violence (DV) perpetrated by juveniles has found that in the majority of cases the victim is a family member, typically the parent of the offender.

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) examined 1,055 domestic assaults where the NSW Police commenced legal action against a person aged less than 18 years.

Nearly two-thirds of these DV assaults involved male offenders and victims were predominantly female (67%).

Parents, siblings and other family members accounted for seven in every ten victims of juvenile domestic assault, with 44 per cent of cases involving child-to-parent violence.

The vast majority of incidents occurred in the victim’s home and involved physical violence that resulted in injury.

In about a quarter of the 200 cases studied by BOCSAR, the offender was identified as having a mental health condition. Alcohol and other drug use were infrequently associated with these incidents.

The results also suggest that juvenile DV offending is in many cases part of an ongoing pattern of criminal behaviour, with over half of juvenile DV offenders being proceeded against by police for another criminal matter within 12 months of the DV assault.

Further enquiries: Dr Don Weatherburn 02 8346 1100
Copies of the report: www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au