Juvenile recidivism demands integrated response involving families and schools, experts say

Every morning at a probation office in Dongdaemun District, eastern Seoul, begins with a scan for trouble — juveniles who may have reoffended overnight.

“When I arrive, I get to see the list of who’s been referred to police or prosecutors a day earlier,” said Kang Shin-won, a veteran officer with 14 years of experience. “It feels like walking on thin ice, every single day.”

The anxiety is not misplaced.

The repeat-offense rate among juveniles on probation was 12.6 percent, more than triple the adult rate of 4.1 percent, according to the Ministry of Justice’s 2024 data.

“The issue isn’t lenient punishment,” Kang said. “It’s because we have failed to eliminate the [structural] causes that draw those teenagers into crime in the first place.”

The deeper fear among repeat youth offenders is that they can't quit — that they are trapped in the vicious cycle.

Lee Ji-hoon, a 14-year-old boy identified by his pseudonym, was put in a rehabilitation facility in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, after stealing a motorcycle last year.

“I was living with my grandparents and didn’t have any allowance, so I began by stealing bikes and scooters, then I stole motorcycles,” Lee said. “I’m truly sorry, but I’m afraid that once I return home and see the same friends, I could slip up again.”

The pattern is often observed among those who lack familial care.

Oh, a 14-year-old from Gwanak District, southern Seoul, was put on probation after defrauding people in online game item deals.

“My son’s misconduct started in 2024 with bicycle theft and developed into low-level scams,” said Oh’s father, who has been his sole guardian. “I’ve been raising him on my own since my divorce when he was four, working delivery jobs. Before I knew it, he had developed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] and anxiety, and as his troubles continued, I’ve felt a deep sense of guilt as a parent.”

The current correctional system is barely effective, juvenile offenders say.

Kim Tae-hyung, aged  16, who was ordered to complete 40 hours of crime prevention education and a year of probation for secretly filming a classmate’s naked body, described such penalties as “little more than a formality,” saying the mandatory classes “meant nothing.”

“I travel an hour and a half every month to the probation office, and all I do is sit and talk for five to 10 minutes before leaving.”

Correctional officers who are meant to instruct juvenile offenders are seemingly understaffed. A total of 23,178 juveniles were on probation in 2024, yet all were overseen by roughly 200 officers. Each officer handles about 50 minor offenders, well above the OECD average of 32.4.

Detention centers are overcrowded as well. Last year’s average population of 1,083 surpassed the occupancy limit of 940.

“Because correctional facilities are overcrowded, different types of minor offenders — under-14 offenders, at-risk juveniles and serious offenders — are all mixed together, effectively turning the facilities into breeding grounds for crime,” said Yoon Yong-beom, a former detention center director who now leads the Call & Do, a nonprofit for marginalized people.

“[Law enforcement authorities] need to partner with the private sector to segregate them according to the type of their offenses,” Yoon said.

In response, experts are calling for an integrated effort among families, schools and local authorities to prevent juveniles from reoffending.

Lee, a 17-year-old who had repeatedly run away from home and received four court probation orders, saw her behavior positively shift after consistent counseling involving both her probation officer and parents. Her violations of curfew restrictions, once frequent, dropped by 86 percent. She is moving toward rejoining society, having received tattoo removal assistance at the National Medical Center and moving on to an alternative school.

Experts say such outcomes require coordination far beyond the courtroom.

“Most juvenile crime stems from a breakdown in parental supervision,” said Kang Kyung-rae, a professor of police administration at Daegu Catholic University. “To curb recidivism, we need an integrated approach that spans families, schools and communities. Penalties should come after careful analysis of the causes of each offense and should be handed down accordingly,” he said.

Other countries have taken that approach more seriously. In Scotland, for instance, most juvenile cases are not handled in courtrooms but through the so-called Children’s Hearings, a system oriented toward protecting children and improving family circumstances. Only the most serious felonies, such as murder, are tried criminally.

“Since the 1960s, Scotland has treated these children as subjects in need of protection and recovery, not punishment,” said Soh Ra-mi, an attorney from Lawyers for a Democratic Society.

Back in Korea, another concern lingers: victims are often left in the dark and unprotected.

A high school student who secretly filmed eight female teachers 178 times in Busan last year was referred to criminal court, while in a separate case in Chungju, North Chungcheong, in 2024, two middle schoolers who sexually harassed an elementary school swimmer were sent to juvenile proceedings.

But by principle, juvenile proceedings are closed, and victims are neither informed of outcomes nor granted access to records or appeals.

“To better protect victims’ rights in juvenile proceedings, we should consider partially adopting notification systems from the Criminal Procedure Act,” said Won Hye-wook, a professor from Inha University’s Law School, during a parliamentary seminar on April 28.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY OH SAM-GWON, KIM CHANG-YONG, KIM YE-JUNG [[email protected]]