Statistics compiled by the Canadian government show that criminal accusations are most likely to happen when a person is 18 years old. That's when they peak, and then they taper off fairly consistently for the rest of a person's life.
When accusations are looked at by age, it was shown that just over 2,000 people out of every 100,000 individuals were accused of crimes at age 12. This then started rapidly trending up.
By age 13, the number had doubled to just over 4,000 people. By age 15, it was just over 10,000 for every 100,000 people. By age 17, it came in just over 14,000 people. It then moved up slightly at age 18, hitting right around 15,000 out of every 100,000 people, which is where it peaked.
The decline is then consistent, but it's not nearly as fast. Getting back down to 10,000 took all the way to age 23. The number did not hit 4,000 again until age 45. Only by age 54 was it back to where it started at age 12, coming in at around 2,000 out of every 100,000 people. It then dropped even further by age 55 and older, coming it at right around 1,000.
It's very clear that accusations are made most often when young people are involved. The longer someone lives, the less likely he or she is to commit a crime, statistically speaking. Because of this, it's incredibly important for those who are 18 and under to know what legal rights they have, as they're more likely to end up in court in Ontario.
Source: Public Safety Canada, "A Statistical Snapshot of Youth at Risk and Youth Offending in Canada," accessed March 10, 2016
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