TEENAGE boys are the nation's most prolific criminal offenders

Teen boys are our worst crims | The Daily Telegraph

TEENAGE boys are the nation's most prolific criminal offenders, committing almost 300,000 assaults and other offences in just two years.

Figures from The Australian Bureau of Statistics have revealed for the first time the true picture of the country's young criminal minds.

The highest proportion of young offenders aged under 20 are from the ACT, with NSW home to 31 per cent of them.

The figures show similar patterns of offending by different age groups across the states and territories.

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Those aged 15-19 consistently accounted for the largest proportion of total offenders for each state and territory, ranging from 17 per cent in the Northern Territory to 32 per cent in the ACT.

Offending rates decrease consistently with age with the least number of offenders among those aged over 65.

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The most prevalent offences were acts intended to cause injury (assault) with about 300 per 100,000 population, followed by public order, theft and drug offences. Murder was among the least common offences with a rate of less than two per 100,000 population.

Twenty six per cent were repeat offenders, with 4 per cent offending five times or more. Tasmania reported the highest proportion - 8 per cent - of repeat offenders.

The Northern Territory ranked as the nation's most criminally-inclined jurisdiction with a rate of just over 4000 offenders per 100,000 population.

Tasmania was second with a rate of 3000 per 100,000.

Indigenous people accounted for more than six out of every 10 offenders in the Northern Territory.

The ABS publication presents statistics on offenders aged 10 years and older against whom police proceeded during the period July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008.

This isn't a full picture as data for Western Australia wasn't available.

The lowest proportion of offenders aged under 20 was in the Northern Territory at 22 per cent.