More serious assaults Juvenile crime on the rise in Switzerland
New figures from the Federal Statistical Office show an alarming rise in juvenile crime in Switzerland. The increase in sentences for violence and pornography is particularly striking.
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- According to the Federal Statistical Office, 23,080 juvenile convictions were handed down in 2023, a full 11 percent more than in 2022.
- The number of juvenile convictions increased by 42% between 2015 and 2023.
- There was an increase in convictions for grievous bodily harm, brawling and obstructing an official act.
- Convictions for criminal acts against sexual integrity have almost tripled since 2015, with a fourfold increase in convictions for pornography.
- Offenses against the Narcotics Act, on the other hand, have fallen by almost 20% compared to 2022.
According to the latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office (FS O), juvenile crime in Switzerland is continuing to rise.
After peaking in 2010 with almost 11,000 juvenile convictions, the number fell continuously until 2015, in parallel with the introduction of a national prevention program.
Since the low point nine years ago, however, the number has been rising again. In 2023, there were over 42 percent more juvenile convictions for an offense against the Swiss Criminal Code (SCC) compared to 2015. The total number increased from 5991 to 8528.
Violent sentences remain at a consistently high level
According to the FSO, convictions for grievous bodily harm, obstruction of an official act and brawling (participation in a physical altercation between at least three people with "successful injury" that is not exclusively for the purpose of defense or dispute resolution) have been particularly affected, almost tripling in the last nine years.
Patrik Killer, Head of the Zurich Youth Prosecutor's Office and President of the Swiss Association for the Administration of Juvenile Justice, explains to SRF that violent crimes have remained at a consistently high level overall.
However, certain offenses, such as obstructing an official act, have increased. "We try to work with young people, some of whom have a problem with the police. We want them to understand that a police officer is a person of respect and must be treated as such."
Increase in sentences for pornography
Another worrying trend is the increase in convictions for criminal acts against sexual integrity, which have almost tripled since 2015.
The four-fold increase in convictions for pornography is also particularly striking. Killer attributes this to the increasing use of social media by younger and younger young people, which exposes them to the dangers of the internet.
Young offenders, but fewer drugs
The youngest offenders are also making a name for themselves in other respects: according to the FSO, the number of under 15-year-olds convicted of a criminal offense rose by 60.2% between 2015 and 2023.
The increase in juvenile convictions can be observed among both male juveniles (+38%) and female juveniles (+33%). This increase also applies to both young people with Swiss citizenship (+24%) and those with foreign citizenship (+44%).
On a positive note, the number of juvenile convictions for violations of the Narcotics Act has fallen significantly. Compared to 2022, convictions for trafficking and consumption of narcotics fell by almost 20%, which indicates a decline in the consumption and trafficking of drugs among young people.