Pacific Youth and Violent Offending in Aotearoa New Zealand Pacific Youth and Violent Offending in Aotearoa New Zealand
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Pacific youth and violent offending in Aotearoa New Zealand Pacific youth and violent offending in Aotearoa New Zealand Julia Ioane, Auckland University of Technology, Ian Lambie, University of Auckland Pacific youth offenders in Aotearoa New Zealand are over-represented in the offenders (who constitute the other rates of violent offences. The purpose of this study was to explore the risk larger ethnic youth groups in Aotearoa). factors that exist amongst this group. Using file data from the New Zealand The definition of a ‘Violence’ offence Police, the offending behaviour and social demographic characteristics of reflects that of the New Zealand Police. 200 Pacific violent youth offenders aged 10–24 years were investigated. These include Homicide, Kidnapping/ Results revealed that these youth were more likely to be born in Aotearoa, Abduction, Robbery, Grievous Assaults, raised in low socio-economic deprivation areas, and that their exposure Serious Assaults, Intimidation/Threats, and involvement in family violence was high. Furthermore, their first known Group Assemblies (see Appendix A). offence to Police was generally of a violent nature. Recommendations for Both in Aotearoa and overseas, the clinical practice and implications for future research are discussed. dearth of research regarding Pacific youth is acknowledged (Fiaui & Keywords: Pacific youth offenders, youth offenders, youth violent offending Hishinuma, 2009; Singh & White, 2000). In order to provide a brief review of the Pacific people are a rapidly growing, Given the fact that the Pacific existing literature, the authors examined diverse and vibrant population. They community in Aotearoa have such a Pacific studies in Aotearoa and overseas, include those born in the islands and youthful population; and that a number of including local and international studies overseas. Within this wider population, risk factors exist including poor education investigating other ethnic minorities. A the main groups are predominantly (Maguin & Loeber, 1996), antisocial 14 year longitudinal study in Aotearoa Samoan (49%), Cook Islands Maori peers (Zimmerman & Messner, 2010), found that children of Pacific ethnicity (21%), Tongan (20%) and Niuean (8%) family violence (Reid & Crisafulli, 1990) had a higher risk of offending than (Statistics New Zealand, 2014). Recent and poverty (Farrington, 1989),all of children of Pakehā ethnicity (Fergusson, statistics show that almost two-thirds of which contribute to offending behaviour; Horwood & Lynskey, 1993). Few Pacific people are born in Aotearoa New any influence this population will have studies looking at Asian/Pacific Island 1 Zealand , urbanised, and make up 7.4% on Aotearoa is likely to increase as the youth violence found that Samoan youth of the total population in Aotearoa. The current youthful population develops into reported higher rates of violence than Pacific population are also a youthful adulthood. Therefore, researching Pacific other ethnic groups such as Filipino and population, with more than half of its youth and their offending behaviour is Hawaiian youth (Mayeda, Hishinuma, population (54.9%) under 25 years old necessary to provide information for Nishimura, Garcia-Santiag & Mark, (Statistics New Zealand). Population targeted prevention and intervention of 2006). In addition, a more recent study projections estimate that the number of this vulnerable population group (Ioane, that analysed data from the Youth Pacific people living in Aotearoa will Lambie & Percival, 2013). Risk Behavior Surveillance System increase by 2.4% per year, an estimate (1999-2009) in the U.S. found that which is higher than for both Māori and Pacific Youth and their offending indigenous and ethnic minority youth Europeans in Aotearoa (Statistics New behaviour that included Native Hawaiians/Pacific Zealand, 2010). The classification age range for Islanders reported higher rates of youth The Pacific population typically youth who offend in Aotearoa is between violence that Asians and European reside in the most deprived areas of 14 and 16 years old. Pacific youth (Sugimoto-Matsuda, Hishinuma, Aotearoa characterised by poverty, offenders are the third largest group of Chang, 2013). This is not surprising inadequate housing and typically, high youth offenders in Aotearoa, representing given the large existing literature base rates of crime (Ministry of Health & 6–9% of all youth apprehensions over the demonstrating that youth in ethnic Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, 2004). period 1996–2005 (Soboleva, Kazakova minorities generally are more likely to Statistics continue to report a low number & Chong, 2006). The latest figures be involved in violence. An American (22.8%) of Pacific secondary school show that Pacific youth who engage in study, examining the differences in youth students achieving the requirements to offending behaviour commit a larger violence among different ethnic groups, attend university when compared to both percentage of violent apprehensions found than American Indian, African- Pakehā (48.3%) and Asian secondary 2than do European and Māori youth American, and Latino youth were more school students (65.3%) (Statistics New 2 Apprehensions count the number of likely to be involved in physical fights Zealand and Ministry of Pacific Island times a person is apprehended or multiple than their Caucasian counterparts, Affairs, (2010). offenders are apprehended for one offence. and were also more likely than youth For example, one offender apprehended for 1 Hereafter, New Zealand will be referred three burglary offences is counted as three hended for a burglary offence is counted as to as Aotearoa, its indigenous translation. apprehensions, while two offenders appre- two apprehensions. New Zealand Journal of Psychology Vol. 45, No. 3, November 2016 • 23 • Julia Ioane, Ian Lambie from the Caucasian community to regardless of whether they had been more than one Violence offence at the come from impoverished environments charged or not. same time, the most serious Violence where violence was more common offence was recorded. For example, if Inclusion criteria (McNulty & Bellair, 2003). In Canada, an offender committed a serious assault a ten-year follow-up of Aboriginal The youth offenders identified and also intimidated the victim, the and non-Aboriginal adolescent sex for this study were sourced from the serious assault offence was recorded. offenders found that the Aboriginal New Zealand Police according to the Furthermore, if an offender committed population were more likely to have following criteria: other Violence offences during 2007, backgrounds associated with Foetal 1. They committed a violence the first Violence offence in 2007 was Alcohol Syndrome Disorder, substance offence (charged or non-charged) on recorded. Once the Violence offence abuse, childhood victimisation, academic or between 1 January 2007 and 31 was identified and recorded; all previous difficulties and instabilities in their home December 20074. offences (violence and non-violence environment, and were more likely to 2. They were identified as having a offending) prior to the Violence offence reoffend sexually, violently, and non- Pacific ethnicity. This is either reported were also recorded. The authors also violently than were their non-Aboriginal by the offender or previously known by documented any further offending counterparts (Rojas & Gretton, 2007). Police. until 2009 to explore the likelihood of While there is some available research 3. They were aged between 10 recidivist offending. As the research regarding Pacific youth offending in and 24 years of age at the time of their progressed, the authors redefined the Aotearoa, much more is needed given Violence offence. This age range was Violence offences into three separate the continued disparity of outcomes selected by the authors in recognition of categories for further analysis. for Pacific youth in areas of social, the fact that Pacific cultures use concepts Table 1. economic, and educational risk factors other than age to define the maturity of that suggests that this population will youth in the community, which tends Type of Violence offences continue to have greater representation in often to be older than their chronological Severea Kidnapping and Abduction, Robbery, youth offending (Ministerial Taskforce, age (Suaalii & Muavoa, 2001). Grevious Assault, Serious Assault 2002; Ioane, Lambie & Percival, 2013; ). The over-representation of Pacific Procedures youth offenders in violent apprehension Using the inclusion criteria, this Moderate Minor Assault statistics necessitates an exploration of information was extracted from the this population in our society. The aim of INCOFF Offender Provisional Detail this study was to explore Pacific violent Business Object universe database, Minor Intimidation/Threat, Group Assembly youth offenders through analysing their which provided a list of all Violence social and demographic characteristics offences committed in 2007. The a There were no homicide offences in this study. alongside their offending behaviour in information documented that related to order to gain further insight into this the offender included their age at the vulnerable population group. time of the Violence offence; suburb Inter-rater reliability where they reportedly lived; gang To assess the reliability of the data notification5 (if present); and family collected, a post graduate psychology Method violence notification6 (if present), all of student with research experience,