A 2019 Australian study found the average age of first-time criminal offenders was 21.8. The origin of the study is less important than the broader phenomenon the finding points to---most criminals start committing crimes as young adults and would most likely age out of crime in as they enter late adulthood. Trends differ for different types of crime (and white-collar offenses seem to be complete outliers), but for violent crimes especially, as someone gets older, they are less and less likely to offend. People aged 40 and over commit about 24% of all violent crimes; 50 and older is about 11%; 60 and older is about 3.5%.
The reason for this phenomenon is still being studied and is probably a combination of a number of factors. The brain is still developing in one’s 20s, making them more likely to behave impulsively. Other cognitive developments may make older people less violent, such as an increase in empathy. Some argue that an increase in responsibilities as one ages makes them less likely to risk crime. Although we don’t know the exact reasons why people age out of crime, knowing the trend exists can improve the justice system.
Judges should keep aging out in mind during their sentencing. Many juveniles convicted of homicide, for example, receive life without parole. A sentence of this severity would be appropriate if data showed that a violent adolescent will retain their violent tendencies for their whole life. It doesn’t!
Reconsidering some of these sentences has reinforced the aging out data. Out of 174 people given LWOP as children in Philadelphia who were resentenced and released, only 1% were reconvicted after about two years.
I am not advocating for any drastic change to the way we sentence criminals, but I want more people to be aware of the aging-out phenomenon because it helps portray the success of our prison system more accurately. Thanks for listening!
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