Beneath the Surface of Youth Offending: A Personal Reflection

Nikki Butler, 3 January 2025

The behaviours of young people are telling us something… are we ready to hear it?

Adolescence is a unique and turbulent stage of development, where identity formation, belonging, and emotional regulation are in flux. During this phase, risk-taking and harmful behaviours are common. For many young people, including myself back then, these behaviours stem from unmet needs and internal struggles rather than rebellion. When childhood adversity and traumatic experiences are in the mix, young people may exhibit chaotic behaviour reflecting deep emotional wounds, often judged superficially.
This article explores factors that often lie beneath the surface of youth offending. As I reflect on current conversations and community attitudes, I find myself revisiting my own teenage years – a time that for me was marked by deep emotional pain, feelings of emptiness, fears, and insecurity. The intensity of what was going on inside affected my outward presentation and behaviours, which I now understand as trauma-based responses. These insights are shared as a foundation for exploring the deeper motivations behind young people’s offending behaviours.

Self-Reflection
Self-reflection leads me to understand the key drivers, rewards, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and unmet needs that lay underneath my adolescent risk-taking. Through personal and professional experience, and the years of wisdom they have gifted me, I have gained insights into the core of youth offending. On a personal level, the root causes included:
• Poverty and survival mode.
• Escaping emotional pain.
• Substance use to fill voids.
• Seeking belonging and value.
• Lack of parental guidance.
• Diminished hope – not caring to live.

As a child, I experienced the insecurities, family dysfunction and poverty that comes with parental heroin addiction. I know only too well that childhood adversity fuels a sense of desperation, a fear of not having enough, and survival instincts. During adolescence, I used substances to escape inner pain, a powerful force within me that drove risky decisions. I can recall the feelings of ‘not caring to live,’ which meant a devaluing of myself and what life had to offer. This significantly affected my behaviours, actions and decisions across multiple contexts of my life. Reflecting on my teenage years, I see how loneliness and a need for connection led me to look for belonging in harmful places, compromising my values, behaviours, safety, and well-being.
For many young people today, these factors also contribute to their offending behaviours. By examining the root causes of youth offending through a trauma-informed, developmental, and empathetic perspective, we can implement responses and interventions that prevent harm, mitigate the risks associated with pain-based behaviours, repair and heal the disruptions experienced in these young lives, and cultivate seeds of hope and potential.

Detaining children and young people create a compounding trauma effect. Abuse is high in locked facilities, cumulative harm deepens the effects of trauma, harmful thought processes can become entrenched, and cycles of offending, addiction, trauma and poverty are perpetuated. In Australia, youth recidivism in detention centers reaches 79%. To break these cycles, interventions should focus on understanding and healing the underlying issues behind youth offending.
Let’s look at underlying factors in more detail.

Poverty and Survival
In Australia, child poverty is increasing. Consequently, associated issues, such as youth offending, have become more prominent. In environments where resources and support are limited, offending can become a means of survival. These behaviours are often an attempt to meet basic needs, not only for themselves but sometimes for siblings and peers as well.
Living in poverty can restrict access to education, opportunities, and basic necessities, potentially leading to feelings of exclusion and despair. I know only too well that childhood poverty goes deep into the psyche. What is often not understood is it more than about material lack; it can erode the foundation of hope, self-worth, stability, and possibility.

Emotional Turmoil
Youth offending often arises from emotional issues and adolescent challenges, where insecurities and struggles are intensified. Similar to myself as a teenager, risky behaviours, like substance use, theft, or vandalism, may serve as ways to seek excitement, validation, or control amid chaos. These actions provide an adrenaline rush or temporary relief from feelings of emptiness, shame, or despair. Addressing these behaviours without considering underlying struggles can worsen emotional distress.

Some adolescents externalise their inner trauma through violent or harmful actions, often projecting the hurt they carry within. Experiences of abuse, neglect, or violence can create profound emotional scars, diminishing trust in others and in the hope of a better future. These young people may replicate the violence or harm they have experienced, either as a cry for help or a subconscious effort to process their trauma.

Fear can also lead young people to engage in offending behaviours. Recklessness or defiance may arise from fear, anxiety, or extreme worry. These fears may be related to personal harm (for themselves or others), rejection, shame, ridicule, or unmet basic needs, such as food and shelter. Taking risks can function as a shield of protection against these fears.

Substance Use
Youth offending is often linked with substance use, which can act as both a symptom and a driver of deeper issues. For many young people, substance use begins as experimentation, while for others, drugs or alcohol provide an emotional band-aid, temporarily masking feelings of emptiness or pain. I remember so clearly the drive within me to escape reality. The reality, however, is this coping mechanism tends to reinforce the emotional distress it seeks to escape. Substance use becomes both a support and a catalyst, increasing the underlying struggles that contribute to offending behaviours. These offending behaviours may be related to accessing substances, while other behaviours may result from being under the influence of substances.

Belonging and Acceptance
Adolescents are driven by a profound need for connection, belonging, and acceptance. Behaviours that appear reckless or malicious often stem from a longing to feel valued, seen, and wanted. Peer pressure plays a pivotal role, offering young people a sense of belonging within a group, even if the required actions are risky. The fear of exclusion can be as strong as the desire for inclusion, leading them to conform to behaviours that may not align with their true values. As I reflect back, I can relate to the fear of rejection overriding the fear of being caught.

Inadequate Parental Guidance
Lack of parental guidance and positive role models significantly contributes to youth offending. Adolescents rely on boundaries, support, and examples of healthy behaviours to navigate challenges and develop a moral compass. Without these, they may struggle to discern right from wrong, seek validation in unhealthy peer groups, or engage in risky activities. In my experience, parental role modelling was more like a permission slip to engage in substance use and find alternative ways to meet basic needs.
Without parental figures to model resilience, empathy, and accountability, young people may turn to harmful coping mechanisms or mimic negative influences. This lack of guidance can lead to poor decision-making and offending behaviours as they seek structure and belonging.
Of significant concern, research in Australia shows that approximately 80% of young people in detention centres have experienced violence within the home, shaping their worldview and responses to challenges. Risk factors linked to domestic and family violence may also include parental mental health issues, addiction, substance use and poverty. These home environments create emotional turmoil, fear, and insecurity, affecting a young person’s ability to regulate emotions, make decisions, and form healthy relationships – factors that are crucial for avoiding the justice system

Diminished Hope
Trauma, adversity, and poverty can significantly affect a young person’s sense of hope, mental health, wellbeing, self-efficacy, self-worth and belief in a future full of hope and possibilities. As I reflect back, I remember going through a stage of not caring to live. When hope diminishes, behaviours carry this expression, increasing the risk of offending behaviours. Young people may turn to harmful behaviours as a way to cope or assert control over their circumstances.

The Way Forward
Although my teenage years are long behind me, the underlying drivers of my behaviours mirror those seen in many young people today. Addressing poverty, trauma, emotional pain, addiction, lack of belonging and inadequate parental guidance, can shift the narrative from punishment to understanding, empathy and restoration.

Young people often navigate complex emotions without the tools, support, or safe spaces they need. Addressing behaviours at surface-level, without exploring underlying causes and struggles, can worsen the distress which lies at the core of offending. Creating environments where young people feel seen, heard, and valued is vital, not only for young people themselves, but also for families, communities and future generations.

A CALL TO ACTION
The time to act is now. Addressing the root causes of offending behaviours is urgent. It requires professional training, trauma-informed responses and pathways for healing, empowerment and restoration for young people. The justice system often focuses on punitive measures, but early intervention and trauma-responsive support offer significant potential. Key aspects include:

1. Trauma-Responsiveness: Training professionals to understand the root causes of youth offending and equipping them with tools for compassionate responses.

2. Early Intervention: Supporting children, young people and families where risk factors are present before adversity and stressors lead to offending.

3. Healing and Restoration: Developing programs and environments where young people feel safe, supported and valued, prioritising healing and trauma-transformative practices.

My final reflection is this…

Narratives and community attitudes around youth offending need to be critically examined and redefined. Reflecting on our own adolescent experiences may allow the community to adopt a broader perspective rooted in empathy. It is known that most offending behaviours in adolescence do not continue into adulthood. Research shows that most offending behaviours during adolescence do not persist into adulthood. However, recidivism rates are notably high for youths confined in secure facilities. Addressing and understanding the underlying issues is crucial for achieving healing, restoration, and preventing cycles of trauma, re-offending, and poverty.

Is your service ready to understand youth offending from a trauma-informed approach?
Understanding youth offending from a trauma-informed, developmental and empathetic lens is crucial for all professionals working in child, adolescent and family services such as domestic and family violence, mental health, addiction, child protection, out of home care and first response. Contact us to learn how our transformative training can support your organisation. We offer flexible delivery options, including in-person or online, to meet the specific needs of your organisation.

I would also love to hear your thoughts. As leaders, professionals and advocates how do we step up to address the childhood adversity and trauma driving youth crime?

Let’s continue this conversation and create opportunities for young people to build lives of hope, meaning, purpose, value and success.