Half of NSW men born in 1984 are crims

Almost half of NSW men born in 1984 have been in trouble with the law, according to new research.

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has found 48.4 per cent of the state’s men now aged 33 have most likely been apprehended for offences such as driving while disqualified or drunk.

They’ve also likely been formally cautioned for cannabis, been sent to a youth justice conference or taken to court, according to the new research.

The study found those aged between 10-14 at the time of their first offence had received more than five prison terms over their lives.

BOCSAR executive director Don Weatherburn said the year 1984 was chosen because more people were likely to be in crime-prone groups in the lead up to 1990s, when crime peaked across Australia.

“A lot of this group would have been addicted to heroin and a lot got involved with theft because, at that time, there was lots to steal that you could make money with,” Dr Weatherburn told AAP on Wednesday.

“People were stealing Reebok shoes, colour TVs, laptops and everything they could get their hands on, and they could sell it down at the local pub.”

Dr Weatherburn said the research also highlighted the need for early intervention methods to prevent the risk of youth recidivism.

In comparison, only 15.8 per cent of women and 35.5 per cent of Aboriginal men born in 1984 had brushes with the law, the study found.