Corona effect: In 2020, there was a 9% increase in the number of cases opened to minors • More than 20% of cases - drug offenses • Expert: "Not every case at all comes to an indictment"
Have the closures increased youth involvement in crime?
Data obtained by "Israel Today" reveal that during 2020, the year during which educational institutions remained closed for many months due to the corona, there was a 9% increase in the number of cases opened to minors in the Israel Police.
The data showed that during 2020 a total of 19,814 cases were opened for juvenile delinquency, an increase of 1,640 cases for juvenile delinquency compared to 2019.
It turns out that youth use more drugs, and in 2020 5,655 cases were opened for minors using dangerous drugs, drug trafficking and drug use Not for personal consumption - more than 20% of all criminal cases opened to minors.
At the same time, in the Corona year, 732 cases of sexual offenses were opened, including rape, indecent acts and sexual harassment.
Furthermore, 18.5% of the cases opened to minors in the past year were for assault, 13% were opened for threatening offenses, 7% for assault and failure of police officers, and about 9% for causing malicious property damage.
It further shows that during the past year 18 teenagers were questioned on suspicion of committing murder, while 14 were questioned for attempted murder, and that only 381 cases were opened against teenagers for fights and street disturbances.
1,230 minors were suspected of offenses related to the Entry into Israel Law, three were investigated on charges of treason and espionage, and seven cases were opened for the offense of arson on a nationalist background.
Of the 19,814 cases opened in 2020 for minors, 57% have already been shelved or are in the process of closing, 14% are still under investigation and 22% have been handled by the State Attorney's Office or the Prosecution Department of the Israel Police.
Advocate Yitzhak Bam, a criminal law expert, explained that the data is not surprising, since the closure harms not only the school setting, but the entire social and therapeutic environment around the youth. However, it is important to understand that today, under the Youth Law, "Not every police case is indicted," explains Adv. Bam. "Many cases that are transferred to the police prosecution or the prosecutor's office can be closed after a conversation in a probation service, participation in a treatment group or a 'family discussion group' procedure involving The boy. "
"Most of the cases in which an indictment is filed against a minor end without a conviction, and the courts give significant weight to rehabilitation considerations. It can be said that in most cases, when there are no serious offenses, the system is aimed at rehabilitation."