A number of international studies have found that the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with reductions in crime, primarily due to changes in the routine activities of the population. However, to date there has been no targeted exploration of how COVID-19 may have influenced youth offending, which may be more heavily impacted by the changes heralded by COVID-19 containment measures. This study examines changes in youth offending in an Australia jurisdiction, Queensland, following the implementation of COVID-19 containment measures from the period April to June 2020. Additionally, differences in impacts across community types were explored. Findings from the panel regression indicated significant declines in youth property offending, offences against the person and public order offences in this period, but no significant changes in illicit drug offences. There were also significant differences across communities according to socio-economic status, per cent Indigenous population, and the extent of commercial or industrial land use. Findings are explored with reference to environmental crime theories and the potential impacts of social, economic and policing changes that occurred in this period.

许多国际研究发现，COVID-19大流行的初期与犯罪的减少有关，这主要是由于人口的例行活动发生了变化。但是，迄今为止，尚未针对COVID-19可能如何影响青少年犯罪进行有针对性的探索，而COVID-19围堵措施预示的变化可能会更严重地影响青少年犯罪。这项研究调查了自2020年4月至2020年6月实施COVID-19围堵措施后，昆士兰州澳大利亚辖区的青少年犯罪变化。此外，还探讨了不同社区类型的影响差异。小组回归分析的结果表明，在此期间，青少年财产犯罪，侵害人身罪和公共秩序犯罪的人数大幅下降，但非法毒品犯罪没有明显变化。根据社会经济状况，土著人口百分比以及商业或工业用地的程度，社区之间也存在显着差异。结合环境犯罪理论以及这一时期发生的社会，经济和治安变化的潜在影响，对发现进行了探索。