Stoutt making his presentation on youth and crime on June 8, 2012. Photo: VINO/File

Young offenders are seen as heroes among their peers, Stoutt disclosed.

He was at the time presenting his views on youth, truancy and crime as a precursor to crime in the Virgin Islands (VI) at the Crime Conference held at the Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium.

According to Stoutt, young offenders continue to identify with negative behaviours because they receive positive stroking from peers on their negative behaviours.

He also disclosed to the audience that most of the offenders attend school regularly.

“…but they become involved in crime due to the absence of adult supervision on the week-ends and after school. Further the absence of being purposely occupied contributes to the structuring of their time in negative activities,” the veteran educator pointed out.

In light of this, he added that the young offenders place a high emotional and financial stress on parents and other family members and continually increase their chances of not being employed within their communities.

“In fact they are setting up themselves to experience little or no upward social mobility; they are adverse effects on tourism and the wider economy,” Stoutt added.

The former High School Principal turned Truancy Officer, listed a plethora of charges brought against young offenders who were primarily in secondary schools which included assault occasioning actual bodily harm; wounding, assault on police, robbery, improper use of fire, arson, escape lawful custody, driving an unregistered vehicle, handling stolen goods, criminal trespass, sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13, unlawful possession of cannabis, uttering forged documents.

And from his observations, some offenders flout their sentences and eventually rake up an extensive record.

“Some of the young offenders go on to develop a criminal record with some going on to become hard core, some go through life feeling that society did them wrong and as result seek to punish society through criminal behaviour,” he pinpointed.

Suggestions

“Increase the number of counsellors who work with students both at the primary and secondary levels on a weekly basis. It must not be left to chance,” Stoutt recommended.

He emphasised that particular attention must be placed on the males.

Cognizant of the fact that most of the offenders are children of young single mothers, the Truancy Officer is encouraging the Ministry of Education “to empower this set of parents through periodical parental sessions”.

Youths motivating youths is another option, Stoutt pointed out.

“Research has shown the peers have more influence over each other than adults do, this being so is the factor of the trade to train positive young people to help them retrain their peers who are drifting.”

And since materialism is one factor that drives young people into crime, he recommended organising contracts for competent skilled men who will be tasked with training the young men or women with their skills.