OTTAWA - A new study has found that one in five middle-school students in Toronto reported committing at least one delinquent act in the 12 months before the survey.
But the Statistics Canada study also suggests that a relatively small proportion of the young people were responsible for a high number of repeated delinquent acts.
The survey, based on answers provided by the students themselves, found that the vast majority -- 91 per cent -- of self-reported delinquent behaviours were committed by just under half of delinquent youth.
The most frequently reported delinquent violent act involved carrying a weapon, such as a stick, chain or knife.
The most frequent types of property-related delinquent acts were theft of merchandise from a store and vandalism.
The survey found that delinquent behaviour was more prevalent among youth who reported having consumed alcohol and drugs, and among those who indicated having little parental supervision.
Just over 40 per cent of the Toronto students who had reported committing at least one delinquent act in their lifetime said that their most recent act had been discovered by another person.
Nearly two-thirds of all youth who reported that their last delinquent behaviour was discovered said they were punished by their parents, a teacher, the police or another person.
