Theft, burglarly and robbery are part of a rise in youth crime

Justice Ministry statistics shows charges against youths went up 35 percent in 2023.

Prison sentences also crept up - reaching 12 percent of the almost 50-thousand people convicted last year.

Auckland University associate criminology professor, James Oleson , says Covid lockdowns may have factored into the youth figures.

He says humans are social animals -- and having social, structured time is beneficial.