To ask the Minister of Justice for his assessment of the correlation between young offenders and areas of deprivation.

Research elsewhere supports the view that there is a link between crime and deprivation but no specific research has been undertaken by my Department in relation to young offenders in Northern Ireland.

The Department’s Strategic Framework for Reducing Offending - which sets out the Executive’s long-term approach to reducing offending in Northern Ireland - recognised that offending behaviour can be linked to wider factors including problems with family, health, social care, education, training and employment, poverty and deprivation and housing. Whilst not related specifically to young offenders, the link between deprivation and offending is highlighted within this Framework.