Minors Convicted of Sexual Crimes: Modern Statistical Patterns

Abstract

The authors analyze the regularities of criminal behavior found in the official statistics of the Office of the Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in 2017–2022, which reflect some specific features of minors convicted for sexual crimes nationwide. This research allowed the authors to identify a number of statistical regularities characteristic of this type of criminal conduct. The analysis of statistical data on minors convicted for violent sexual behavior over the last five years revealed some specific features connected with a positive annual growth rate, which is contrary to the general all-Russian trend for the reduction in the criminal behavior of minor convicts. Besides, it is well known that a negative growth rate for the criminal behavior of minor convicts is a typical and traditional feature of the past decade. The specifics of criminal behavior of minors in terms of age show periods of dominance of the 14–15-year-old group, which, although not stable, are regularly repeated. A significant feature revealed by the statistical analysis is the transformation of the types of sexual violence in the structure of the crime under consideration. Although the structure was traditionally dominated by rape, characteristic of both age groups, violent actions of sexual nature have been dominant in the last five years. Besides, this feature is characteristic of the convicts in the younger age group. The data on minors convicted for crimes under Art. 18 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (CC of the RF) with criminal records or outstanding convictions on the date of the court hearing showed that there was a considerable increase in repeat offences in 2022, the growth rate being over +73 %. At the same time, the rates for the previous years were steadily negative. Statistical data are, to a great degree, a reflection of reaction by the law enforcement bodies, but they are, simultaneously, a reference point for a deeper research of the causal complex of juvenile crime that has a high degree of public danger.