Sanctions and measures applied to juvenile offenders
To understand trends and developments in the number of juveniles found guilty of an offense, we look at juveniles (12-23 years old) who have been convicted of a criminal offense by the Public Prosecution Service (OM) or the courts. Additionally, we examine offenders who received a Halt intervention following an offense. This is an extrajudicial diversion program for youths up to 18 years of age. The number of juveniles with a HALT intervention has decreased more sharply in the period 2018-2022 than the number of juveniles with a settlement by the Public Prosecution Service or the ZM.
Last updated: September 2024
Number of convicted minors declines, except for cybercrime and digital offenses
In 2022, the number of minors with a Halt intervention decreased by approximately one third compared to 2018. In 2022, this amounted to approximately 4,500 juveniles. The number of convicted juveniles has also decreased: from approximately 6,300 in 2018 to 4,600 in 2023. This amounts to 5.2 minors per 1,000 peers in 2018 and 3.9 in 2023. This means that after 2018, the number of Halt juveniles has decreased more rapidly than the number of convicted minors. The decrease in convicted juveniles is not uniform for all types of crime. For example, drug and cybercrime are increasing. These types of crime do involve small numbers of offenders.
Number of HALT minors per 1,000 peers
| | 12-16 | 16-18 | 12-18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| '05 | 11,3 | 8,7 | 10,6 |
| '06 | 11,2 | 9 | 10,6 |
| '07 | 11,4 | 8,6 | 10,6 |
| '08 | 10,9 | 7,8 | 10 |
| '09 | 9,7 | 7,4 | 9,1 |
| '10 | 7,2 | 5,7 | 6,8 |
| '11 | 6,3 | 5,5 | 6,1 |
| '12 | 6,3 | 5,9 | 6,3 |
| '13 | 5,5 | 5,9 | 5,7 |
| '14 | 5,8 | 6,3 | 6,1 |
| '15 | 5,7 | 6,5 | 6 |
| '16 | 5,4 | 5,6 | 5,5 |
| '17 | 5,6 | 6,8 | 6,1 |
| '18 | 5,1 | 6,7 | 5,8 |
| '19 | 5,2 | 7,7 | 6,2 |
| '20 | 4,1 | 6,2 | 5 |
| '21 | 3,5 | 4,6 | 4 |
| '22 | 3,3 | 4,8 | 3,9 |
Also increase in adolescents convicted of cybercrime
The number of young adult offenders (18-23 years) also decreased during this period: from approximately 18,700 in 2018 to 13,800 in 2023. This amounts to 17.7 and 12.1 offenders per 1,000 peers respectively. The decrease is uniform for all forms of crime, with the exception of traffic and cybercrime.
Total number of convicted juvenile offenders per 1,000 peers
| | 12-16 | 16-18 | 12-18 | 18-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| '00 | 7,5 | 21,7 | 12,1 | 25,8 |
| '01 | 7,7 | 20,9 | 11,9 | 26,2 |
| '02 | 8,7 | 24,7 | 13,9 | 27,8 |
| '03 | 8,8 | 26,7 | 14,7 | 31,8 |
| '04 | 9,9 | 28,5 | 16 | 32,5 |
| '05 | 10 | 29,4 | 16,4 | 32,4 |
| '06 | 10,2 | 28,4 | 16,2 | 32,5 |
| '07 | 10,3 | 27,1 | 15,9 | 30,4 |
| '08 | 10,1 | 26 | 15,5 | 29,8 |
| '09 | 8,1 | 23,8 | 13,4 | 29,1 |
| '10 | 6,3 | 20,7 | 11,2 | 24,9 |
| '11 | 5,5 | 20,2 | 10,5 | 23,5 |
| '12 | 5,4 | 18,6 | 9,8 | 22,5 |
| '13 | 4 | 15,2 | 7,6 | 22,3 |
| '14 | 3,6 | 12,7 | 6,5 | 20,1 |
| '15 | 3,1 | 11,1 | 5,7 | 19,3 |
| '16 | 2,9 | 10,7 | 5,5 | 17 |
| '17 | 2,9 | 10,7 | 5,6 | 16,6 |
| '18 | 2,6 | 9,5 | 5 | 15 |
| '19 | 2,6 | 9,3 | 5 | 14,5 |
| '20 | 3,1 | 10,8 | 5,8 | 15,7 |
| '21 | 2,7 | 8,7 | 4,8 | 12,7 |
| '22 | 2,7 | 9,8 | 5,1 | 13,9 |
| '23 | 2,6 | 8,8 | 4,7 | 11 |
Number of sanctions applied to minors declines, but custodial sanctions remain stable
The number of Public Prosecution Service sanctions against minors has decreased in the period 2018 to 2023: from 2.9 sanctions per 1,000 peers in 2018 to 1.9 in 2023. The number of judicial sanctions is also decreasing, from approximately 5.0 per 1,000 peers in 2018 to 4.7 in 2023. The decrease is therefore greater for Public Prosecution Service sanctions than for judicial sanctions.
This decrease does not occur for all types of sanctions. For example, all types of custodial sentences and custodial measures remain stable in number or even increase. This also applies to educational sanctions and behavioral measures (GBM). However, behavioral intervention sanctions occur in relatively low numbers in general.
Number of sanctions imposed by the public prosecution service per 1,000 juveniles
| | 12-16 | 16-18 | 12-18 | 18-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| '00 | 9,8 | 24,4 | 14,5 | 27,3 |
| '01 | 10,4 | 24,6 | 15 | 28 |
| '02 | 11,4 | 26,6 | 16,4 | 30,3 |
| '03 | 11,7 | 27,8 | 17 | 34 |
| '04 | 12,9 | 29,2 | 18,2 | 35,2 |
| '05 | 14 | 31,1 | 19,6 | 35,3 |
| '06 | 14,8 | 31,9 | 20,4 | 36,6 |
| '07 | 15,3 | 32,1 | 20,9 | 36,1 |
| '08 | 15 | 31,5 | 20,6 | 35 |
| '09 | 12,8 | 28,8 | 18,2 | 35,4 |
| '10 | 10,6 | 25,8 | 15,7 | 29,6 |
| '11 | 9,3 | 23,8 | 14,2 | 28,6 |
| '12 | 8,1 | 20,9 | 12,3 | 28,8 |
| '13 | 5,9 | 16,2 | 9,2 | 26,8 |
| '14 | 4,9 | 13,6 | 7,7 | 24,8 |
| '15 | 4,3 | 12,3 | 6,9 | 22,1 |
| '16 | 4 | 11,7 | 6,6 | 20,2 |
| '17 | 4 | 11,5 | 6,5 | 18,8 |
| '18 | 3,1 | 9,2 | 5,2 | 17,7 |
| '19 | 2,8 | 9 | 4,9 | 16,5 |
| '20 | 2,6 | 7,9 | 4,4 | 14,1 |
| '21 | 2,8 | 8,2 | 4,6 | 14,4 |
| '22 | 2,5 | 7,8 | 4,3 | 14,5 |
| '23 | 2,3 | 7 | 3,9 | 12,1 |
Sanctions applied to adolescents also declined
The number of sanctions imposed on adolescents by the Public Prosecution Service has decreased in the period 2018 to 2023: from 11.1 sanctions per 1,000 peers in 2018 to 7.6 in 2023. Sanctions imposed by the courts also decreased, from 15.0 per 1,000 peers in 2018 to 11.0 in 2023.
Increase in age of sanctioned Juveniles
Over the years 2000 to 2022, the most common age of sanctioned minor and young adult offenders shifted from 18 to 19 years old. Age-crime curves between 2009-2022 predominantly show a decrease among the youngest age groups. This suggests that, contrary to general belief, most juveniles sanctioned for a criminal offense by the Public Prosecution Service or the courts are not becoming younger, but slightly older.
Number of sanctions imposed by the courts per 1,000 juveniles
| | 12-16 | 16-18 | 12-18 | 18-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| '00 | 7,5 | 21,7 | 12,1 | 25,8 |
| '01 | 7,7 | 20,9 | 11,9 | 26,2 |
| '02 | 8,7 | 24,7 | 13,9 | 27,8 |
| '03 | 8,8 | 26,7 | 14,7 | 31,8 |
| '04 | 9,9 | 28,5 | 16 | 32,5 |
| '05 | 10 | 29,4 | 16,4 | 32,4 |
| '06 | 10,2 | 28,4 | 16,2 | 32,5 |
| '07 | 10,3 | 27,1 | 15,9 | 30,4 |
| '08 | 10,1 | 26 | 15,5 | 29,8 |
| '09 | 8,1 | 23,8 | 13,4 | 29,1 |
| '10 | 6,3 | 20,7 | 11,2 | 24,9 |
| '11 | 5,5 | 20,2 | 10,5 | 23,5 |
| '12 | 5,4 | 18,6 | 9,8 | 22,5 |
| '13 | 4 | 15,2 | 7,6 | 22,3 |
| '14 | 3,6 | 12,7 | 6,5 | 20,1 |
| '15 | 3,1 | 11,1 | 5,7 | 19,3 |
| '16 | 2,9 | 10,7 | 5,5 | 17 |
| '17 | 2,9 | 10,7 | 5,6 | 16,6 |
| '18 | 2,6 | 9,5 | 5 | 15 |
| '19 | 2,6 | 9,3 | 5 | 14,5 |
| '20 | 3,1 | 10,8 | 5,8 | 15,7 |
| '21 | 2,7 | 8,7 | 4,8 | 12,7 |
| '22 | 2,7 | 9,8 | 5,1 | 13,9 |
| '23 | 2,6 | 8,8 | 4,7 | 11 |
More nuanced picture of juvenile crime trends and developments
Statistics from the Public Prosecution Service and the courts on sanctioned juvenile offenders only provide a partial image of actual juvenile crime. Juvenile suspects who -upon police arrest- are not prosecuted or convicted, fall outside this scope. The same applies to juveniles who self-report offending behavior, without the police having detected it. A more nuanced picture of the developments in juvenile crime based on a variety of sources is provided in the full Juvenile Crime Monitor.