Sanctions and Measures Applied to Juvenile Offenders

Latest update: September 2023

Number of Convicted Minors Declines, Except for Cybercrime and Digital Offenses

In 2021, the number of minors (aged 12-18) subject to a Halt intervention dropped by almost 40% compared to 2017. In 2021, this concerned about 4,500 minors. The total number of convicted juveniles also decreased in that period: from about 8,000 to 5,300 juveniles. This amounts to 6.6 juveniles per 1,000 peers in 2017 and 4.5 in 2021. Thus, in 2021, the number of minors subject to a Halt intervention was again lower than the total number of convicted juvenile offenders. This was the opposite in the period 2018-2020. However, the decline in convicted juvenile offenders is not uniform across all types of offenses. For instance, drug and cybercrime are on the rise. However, these types of offenses involve small numbers of offenders overall.

Also Increases in Adolescent, Cybercrime Offenders

The number of convicted adolescent offenders (aged 18-23) also decreased in this period: from about 19,500 in 2017 to 15,000 in 2021. This corresponds to 18.7 and 13.5 offenders per 1,000 peers, respectively. This decline is uniform across all types of offenses, except for drug and cybercrime. The small number of convicted offenders in 2021 represents a tripling of the number in 2017.

Number of Sanctions Applied to Juveniles Declines, but Custodial Sanctions Remain Stable

The total number of sanctions applied to juveniles by the Public Prosecution Service decreased, from about 4,900 in 2017 to 2,800 in 2021. Sanctions imposed by the courts also dropped, from about 6,500 in 2017 to 5,200 in 2021. The decline is more pronounced for sanctions imposed by the Public Prosecution Service than sanctions imposed by the courts.

However, this decline does not apply to all types of sanctions. For instance, all types of custodial sanctions and measures remained stable, or even increased. This also applies to sanctions involving (social) skills training and behavioral intervention (GBM). However, behavioral intervention sanctions occur in relatively low numbers overall.

Sanctions Applied to Adolescents Also Declined

In 2017, the Public Prosecution Service imposed about 12,000 sanctions on adolescent offenders. In 2021, this number reduced to 9,400. Sanctions imposed by the courts also decreased, from 16,600 in 2017 to 12,500 in 2021. Only the rarely imposed (social) skills training had decreased.

Increase in Age of Sanctioned Juveniles

Over the years 2000 to 2022, the most common age of sanctioned minor and adolescent 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.

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.