Helping the Victims of Youth-on-Youth Criminal Violence

2006

Research Team

Lisa Heslop & Corinne Enright, Family Consultant and Victim Services Unit
London Police Service

Alison Cunningham, Pamela Hurley & Lynda Stevens, Child Witness Project
Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System

The Teens Hurting Teens Study is a collaborative effort of the London Police Service and the Child Witness Project, Centre for Children & Families in the Justice System, funded by the Ontario Victim Services Secretariat of the Ministry of the Attorney General. The focus of this study is on violent crime committed by youth against other youth. We read a random sample of 247 police reports from a three-year period before and after the proclamation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), analysed all police occurrences for 2004, reviewed 105 case files from the Child Witness Project, and interviewed 17 young people (and their parents) who experienced or witnessed peer violence. In addition to a summary report, we have fact sheets of recommendations for four professional groups: schools, police, prosecutors, and those who help young witnesses prepare for court.

Download the Report

When Teens Hurt Teens: Helping the Victims of Youth-on-Youth Criminal Violence (650 KB)

Table of Contents

• Secondary Trauma

  • Young Victims and Witnesses

• The Teens-Hurting-Teens Project

• How Frequent is Peer-to-Peer Criminal Violence?

• Study Methodology

• Background

  • The Youth Criminal Justice Act

  • Diversion Policy of the London Police Service

  • Extra-judicial Sanctions

  • Safe Schools Act of Ontario

• Coming Forward

• Discovery by Police

• Disposition of Police Involvement

• Overview of Charges

  • Characteristics of Offences

  • Characteristics of Offenders

  • Characteristics of Victims

  • Victim/Offender Relationship

  • Changes Over the Three Years

• Extra-judicial Sanctions

  • Victim Involvement in Extra-judicial Sanctions

  • Youth Victim Involvement in Extra-judicial Sanctions

• Waiting for Court

• Court Preparation

• Guilty Pleas

• Trials and the Experience of Testifying

  • Fears of Court

  • Testimonial Aids

  • Outcomes of Trials

• Sentencing

• Victim Impact

• Post-YOA Trends

• Implications for Helping Victims

  • Implications for Police

  • Implications for Prosecutors

  • Implications for Child Witness Support Programs

  • Implications for Schools

• Emerging Areas for Victim Services

  • Gang-related Violence

  • Imported Ethnic Tensions

  • Peer-to-Peer Cyber Crime

• Future Research

• Future Program Development

• References Cited

The Teens Hurting Teens Study is a collaborative effort of the London Police Service and the Child Witness Project, Centre for Children & Families in the Justice System, funded by the Ontario Victim Services Secretariat of the Ministry of the Attorney General. We produced a summary report and fact sheets for police, prosecutors, schools, and programs where children are helped to prepare for court. All are available for download.

When Teens Hurt Teens: Helping the Victims of Youth-on-Youth Criminal Violence (overview of findings)

When Teens Hurt Teens: Implications for Police

When Teens Hurt Teens: Implications for Prosecutors

When Teens Hurt Teens: Implications for Schools

When Teens Hurt Teens: Implications for Child Witness Support Programs