Adolescent violence towards parents—Prevalence and characteristics using Australian Police Data
| Author | Lauren Moulds,Peter Miller,Andrew Day,Helen Mildred,Richelle Mayshak |
| DOI | 10.1177/0004865818781206 |
| Published date | 01 June 2019 |
| Date | 01 June 2019 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Adolescent violence
towards parents—
Prevalence and
characteristics using
Australian Police Data
Lauren Moulds
Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
Andrew Day
James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Richelle Mayshak
Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
Helen Mildred
Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
Peter Miller
Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
Abstract
Adolescent violence toward parents is a unique form of family violence which for many,
including police personnel, challenges traditional views of parent–child relationship, and
raises questions about victimization. There has been minimal research in Australia to date
in this area, and knowledge about both prevalence rates and the characteristics of offenders
and victims remains limited. This exploratory study utilized police data from four Australian
States to document prevalence rates of reported offenses to police, and the characteristics of
adolescent violence toward parents in Australia. Between 1% and 7% of family violence
reported to the police is adolescent violence toward parents. The “typical” perpetrator is
a 15- to 17-year-old Caucasian young man who is generally violent toward his mother.
Corresponding author:
Lauren Moulds, Deakin University, Faculty of Health, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia.
Email: lgmoulds@deakin.edu.au
Australian & New Zealand Journal of
Criminology
2019, Vol. 52(2) 231–249
!The Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/0004865818781206
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Findings are limited by the differing police practice and policy variations between States,
including the use of police discretion, leaving several questions open for further investigation.
In conclusion, there is a need for change in policy and practice with regards how best to
assess and respond to adolescent violence toward parents.
Keywords
Adolescents, family, family violence, parents, police, violence
Date received: 5 December 2017; accepted: 14 May 2018
Introduction
For the past 30 years, police policy and practice in relation to family violence have
developed significantly, with an array of measures now commonly implemented to
improve the safety of women and children (Miles & Condry, 2016). Adolescent
Violence Toward Parents (AVTP) is most commonly defined by Cottrell (2001) as
“...any act of a child that is intended to cause physical, psychological or financial
damage to gain power and control over a parent” (p. 3). It challenges our commonly
held ideals around power dynamics between parents and children, and this relationship
being one of safety and care. AVTP is a specific form of family violence which often
creates a dilemma for criminal justice professionals; as the youth court often aims to find
a balance between a justice and welfare response (Holt, 2016). This is complicated by
multifaceted elements of victimization, with often experiences of being victim of family
violence, common for both the victim and the perpetrator (Moulds & Day, 2017; Routt
and Anderson, 2011). The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2018) reported
numbers as high as two-thirds of mothers who experienced violence said a child had seen
or heard the violence. With the legal system beginning to recognize that AVTP is an
emerging issue, the challenge for police is translating this awareness into appropriate
practice. This should be based on a clear understanding of the nature of the issue, both
in terms of prevalence and the characteristics of those involved. This study aims to pro-
vide an overview of the prevalence of reported incidents of AVTP and the characteristics
of the perpetrators, victims and the incidents themselves, using Australian police data.
In Australia, there is no federal-level agreement regarding family violence policy
or policing practices, with various definitions and practices utilized in different con-
texts, jurisdictions, and legislations (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2013).
This is the same for AVTP, where there is a lack of consensus regarding definitio n,
and no specific police policy or guidelines in place to guide responses. As such police
officers are often left to depend on child protection, family violence, and youth jus-
tice frameworks, despite AVTP having applicability in all of these areas (Hunter
et al., 2010).
Across Australia, family violence broadly constitutes a significant proportion of
police work, and has been identified as one of the biggest challenges facing the justice
system (State of Victoria, 2016). Police data are the most commonly used source of
information for descriptions of family and domestic violence trends in Australia
(Alcohol/Drug-Involved Family Violence in Australia [ADIVA], 2016), However, it is
232 Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology 52(2)
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