Youth offending - cases proved in court and convictions
Ethnic differences
Ethnicity data for convictions and cases provide in the Youth Court must be interpreted with caution.(1)
Māori young people are considerably over-represented in terms of cases proved in the Youth Court for ages 14 to 16, and non-traffic convictions for ages 17 to 24.
Pacific young people are proportionately represented, and European and Asian young people are under-represented.
Of cases proved in the Youth Court in 2006 where the offender’s ethnicity was identified, 32 percent involved European offenders, 56 percent Māori offenders, and 11 percent Pacific offenders. Two percent involved offenders of other ethnicities.
In the 17 to 24 age group, ethnicity was not known for 7 percent of offenders convicted of non-traffic offences in 2006. Where it was known, 42 percent of offenders were European, 47 percent were Māori, and 10 percent were Pacific. Two percent were of other ethnicities.
| Cases proved against offenders aged 14 to 16 | Convictions of offenders aged 17 to 24 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | |
| European | 513 | 32% | 11,628 | 42% |
| Māori | 906 | 56% | 13,074 | 47% |
| Pacific Peoples | 173 | 11% | 2,712 | 10% |
| Other | 27 | 2% | 559 | 2% |
| Unknown | 58 | 2,218 | ||
| Total ethnicity | 1,677 | 100% | 30,191 | 100% |
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Demographics of Convicted Cases, Table Builder data.
Note: Proportions calculated excluding cases in which ethnicity is unknown.
Note: We encourage you to be cautious about drawing conclusions from comparisons between ethnic groups. Apparent differences (in unadjusted data) between ethnic groups can often be explained by factors other than ethnicity per se, such as the different age, sex, geographical and socioeconomic distributions of different ethnic populations. In addition, datasets vary in the way that they collect and record ethnicity data.
Notes
1. Ethnicity data in justice statistics is subject to problems in the method of collection, as per this explanation in Morrison et al (2008), Conviction and Sentencing of Offenders in New Zealand: 1997 to 2006 (Wellington: Ministry of Justice), section 1.5:
- “Information is presented in [Conviction and Sentencing of Offenders in New Zealand: 1997 to 2006] on the gender, age, and ethnicity of offenders. This data is usually recorded by the prosecuting authority (mostly the Police) at the time of arrest. Data on the gender and date of birth (used to calculate the age) of offenders is generally accurate. During the arrest process, it is general practice for Police officers to ask offenders to identify their ethnic group for recording purposes. However, this is not always practical, as the offender may be uncooperative. In such circumstances, officers will use their judgement or knowledge about a person to determine that person’s ethnicity. Recording ethnicity in this way may potentially categorise people into an ethnic group that they may not personally choose to identify with. Finally, it is important to note that Police record just one ethnic group per individual for each arrest, rather than allowing a person to be classified into more than one ethnic group. Data on the ethnicity of offenders convicted in 2006 was available for 87% of cases. Cases where ethnicity was not recorded often involved minor traffic offences or miscellaneous offences (for which the prosecuting authority is not usually the Police).”
