A great deal of youth crime is committed in groups, which as been proven empirically for quite some time now. Nevertheless, the group aspect is still paid relatively little attention by the criminal justice system and in the field of criminology. This may be based on the fact that group behaviour is more difficult to describe than the nature and characteristics of individual persons. In its report about the approach to youth crime, written a number of years ago, the Van Montfrans commission also ascertained that the group aspect is often paid too little attention in the approach to this phenomenon. It is only recently that various municipalities have begun to chart the groups of young people held responsible for the majority of crimes committed, this within the framework of the policy on the `hard core' of juvenile delinquents. There has been relatively little research into the subject of group crime in The Netherlands. Despite a certain common sense about the influence of the group in committing crimes, there is little systematic data on the subject itself. The Stafbureau Informatie, Voorlichting en Publiciteit of the Prevention, Youth and Sanctions Policy Department has now co-operated with Advies- en Onderzoeksgroep Beke to map out this area in more detail. This was based on results from existing research in The Netherlands and further afield, a re-analysis of a self-report study among young people, and a limited number of interviews with relevant key experts and young people who are members of groups. (A)
Abstract