Government optimistic about meeting youth recidivism, violent crime reduction targets

Young people with serious, persistent offending behaviour down by 13 percent, recent data shows

Government optimistic about meeting youth recidivism, violent crime reduction targets

Karen Chhour, minister for children, and Paul Goldsmith, justice minister, shared that the latest quarterly data revealed that the government is well on the way to reaching its targets regarding reducing youth recidivism and violent crime victims ahead of schedule. 

The government seeks to safeguard communities, decrease victimisation, and motivate children and young people to refrain from committing serious crimes, Chhour said in a news release from the government. 

One year ago, the government imposed a target to reduce the number of children and young individuals with serious and repeated offending behaviour by 15 percent by 2029, Chhour explained. 

“A 13 per cent reduction in the most recent quarter shows we are hot on the heels of achieving our goal,” Chhour shared in the news release. 

According to Chhour, to tackle the problem of recidivism among children and young people, the government has: 

  • trialled bold, proactive, and data-driven regional responses 
  • ensured that agencies are collaborating with one another 
  • included investments in Budget 2025 to cover planned iterations of military-style academies and the young serious offender declaration 

“We continue to want better for, and from, these young people,” Chhour said in the news release. “This is a strong start, but we’re committed to sustained and meaningful success for our communities.” 

Violent crime data

“This success comes off the back of the Government tracking ahead of its violent crime reduction target,” Goldsmith said in the government’s news release

Goldsmith previously shared that New Zealand’s latest crime and victims survey revealed that there were 157,000 violent crime victims this year until February. Goldsmith added that the data showed that there were: 

  • 28,000 fewer victims compared with the baseline imposed in October 2023 
  • 12,000 fewer victims in Auckland 
  • 5,000 fewer victims in Canterbury 

Goldsmith said the government aims to move away from a culture of excuses, put victims first, and keep them at the heart of the justice system. 

According to Goldsmith, the government’s efforts to strive toward its objectives included: 

  • reinstating the three-strikes sentencing regime 
  • ensuring that crime has real consequences by limiting sentence discounts 
  • scrapping reports under s. 27 of the Sentencing Act 2002 
  • equipping police officers and the courts with further tools to pursue gangs 

Goldsmith acknowledged that the government has a long way to go as it continues to work on driving down crime statistics. However, as Goldsmith noted, “these results are a good early sign we are heading in the right direction.”