Crime is a young man's game. I choose my words carefully here. Offending rates show clearly that the propensity to commit crime is far greater for males than females. The propensity is also higher for young rather than older men.
The chart above illustrates the proportion of offenders for each age group from 10 - the minimum age of criminal liability in the UK - up to 70. An offender is defined as someone found guilty of, or cautioned for, an indictable offence in 2007.
For men, the rate of offending peaks at 18 when around 6.4 percent of that age group commit some kind of offence. The mini-peak at 25 is an arbitrary allocation of all offenders whose age can not be determined.
For women, the peak is earlier at age 15, when around 2.4 percent of girls do something naughty. However, their offending rate is significantly lower than men at every age cohort.
So, why are young men so bad? I can't help recalling that old rhyme"
"Boys are made of worms and snails and puppy dog tails,
while girls are made of sugar and spice and all things nice"
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