Fewer young people coming into formal contact with the criminal justice system

Date published: 17 December 2025

New official statistics published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Justice present Youth Engagement Statistics for Northern Ireland for the 2024-25 financial year.

Key findings

• There were 2,712 cases where young people (aged 10 to 17) came into formal contact with the criminal justice system in 2024-25, down 19.2% from the previous year.
• 40.0% of cases were assessed by the Public Prosecution Service as suitable for resolution through the Youth Engagement process, up from 35.4% in 2023-24.
• Most young people in contact with the justice system were male (73.1%). Females were more likely to be assessed as suitable for Youth Engagement (45.5%) than males (40.3%).
• Over two fifths of cases (40.7%) involved young people aged 16 or 17. Younger people (under 16) were more likely to be assessed as suitable for Youth Engagement.
• Youth Conference was the most common outcome (52.1%) for those completing the Youth Engagement process.
• The median time to complete the Youth Engagement process was 77 days, up from 67 days in 2023-24.
• 98.9% of participants surveyed said the process helped them understand the choices available to them.

About the publication

The full report provides detailed analysis of young people coming into formal contact with the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland, including breakdowns by age and gender, outcomes of Youth Engagement clinics, time taken for cases to progress through the system, and findings from the Youth Justice Agency satisfaction survey. Supplementary data tables are available alongside the report.

Further information

Read the full report: Youth Engagement Statistics for Northern Ireland April 2024 to March 2025