If a child or young person's offence is serious enough, they might have to attend court. If they admit an offence or are found guilty after a trial, they will likely receive one or more of the following orders.
See the Youth Justice Board website for more information
Pre-sentence reports
We provide information to the court to inform sentencing decisions. These are known as pre-sentence reports and include details of:
- the offence
- the child or young person's circumstances and the reasons for their behaviour
- the impact on the victim and
- a suggested sentence
Bail and remand
Bail
The court may decide to bail a young person to attend a future court hearing. Bail usually comes with conditions like:
- a curfew to stay away from any witnesses or victims
- restriction of movement
- reporting to a police station at certain times or
- a programme of support from us
Remand
The court may remand a young person to the care of the local authority, in which case they become a 'looked after child'. We work with children's social care to find the best place to live for that child or young person where their needs will be met and to make sure the public is protected.
This can be with a family member or a specially recruited and trained foster carer. If the court orders a secure remand, we will work with the Youth Justice Board to find a suitable place and ensure the child or young person is escorted there.
Referral order
Children or young people who are at court for the first time, who have committed low-level offences and plead guilty, can be issued with a referral order. If you receive a referral order you will have to spend time with us and there will be several requirements or activities that you must complete. One of our Practitioners will be allocated to you for the duration of your referral order which lasts between 3 to 12 months.
Next steps
After the referral order has been made, you will be contacted within a few days telling you and your parents or carers when to attend an appointment with one of our Practitioners. They will ask you and your parents or carers some questions. After this, you will get another letter telling you when you must attend the first referral order panel meeting. This panel meeting, not the court sentencing date, marks the start date of your referral order.
Panel meeting
As part of this order you must attend a regular panel meeting at our office with volunteers from the local community and a practitioner to discuss why you have offended and how this affected your victim.
This panel aims to find interventions which may help you to not offend in the future. Including writing a contract, telling you how often you must attend your appointments and what activities you must do during your referral order.
Completing your referral order
If you complete your referral order without any problems or missed appointments, then your conviction will be spent. This means it will not affect you when you apply for most jobs in the future. If you engage well with us and attend all of your appointments, your youth justice service Practitioners may decide to take your order back to court and to ask for it to finish early.
Youth Rehabilitation Order (YRO)
Youth Rehabilitation Orders are given to children or young people who have been convicted of a crime in court. If you receive a YRO, you will have to spend time at the Youth Justice Service and complete several requirements to try to prevent further offending. YROs can last for up to three years.
YROs can also be given with Intensive Supervision and Surveillance (ISS), the highest level of sentence before custody.
Next steps
After court, you will be contacted within a few days telling you and your parent or carer when to attend your first appointment with us. At your first appointment, your youth justice service practitioners will:
- meet with you
- ask you some questions and
- write a plan with you telling you:
o what requirements or activities you must do and
o how often you must attend your appointments
Finishing your YRO
When you finish your YRO your conviction will not immediately become spent (spent convictions do not affect you when you apply for most jobs in the future). You can ask your youth justice service Practitioners what this means and when it does become spent.
If you engage well with us and attend all of your appointments, your youth justice service Practitioners may decide to take your order back to court and to ask for it to finish early.
Youth Rehabilitation Order with Intensive Supervision and Surveillance (YRO with ISS)
A Youth Rehabilitation Order with Intensive Supervision and Surveillance (YRO with ISS) is the same as a Youth Rehabilitation Order, but you must also wear an electronic tag around your ankle.
- You will have a curfew, meaning there will be certain times of the day when you must be at home
- You must also attend up to 25 hours of requirements/activities or appointments with us every week. This includes 15 hours of education, training and/or employment
- You must tell your youth justice service Practitioner if you are at school, college or in work so that your appointments can be arranged around this.
Next steps
After court, you will be contacted within a few days telling you and your parent or carer when to attend your first appointment with your YJS Practitioner. At your first appointment, your Practitioner will:
- meet with you
- ask you some questions and
- write a plan with you telling you:
o what requirements or activities you must do and
o how often you must attend your appointments
Fitting your electronic tag
You will also be visited at home by someone from an agency who will fit the electronic tag to your ankle. You must not tamper with or damage this in any way. The agency will also install a device in your home which will alert them if you leave your home during your curfew. If you do, this you might be taken back to court.
Finishing your YRO with ISS
When you finish your YRO with ISS your conviction will not immediately become spent. You can ask your Practitioners what this means and when it does become spent.
If you engage well with us and attend all of your appointments, your youth justice service Practitioners may decide to take your order back to court and to ask for it to finish early.
Conditional discharge
This means the child or young person is not required to attend any interventions with us but must stay out of trouble for a set time. If they commit another offence in that period, they will be re-sentenced for the initial and new offences.
Absolute discharge
This means that no action will be taken against the child/young person due to the circumstances of the case. This is a rare sentencing disposal given at court.
Parenting orders
When a child under 16 has been convicted of an offence, the court is required to make a parenting order if it is believed this may stop further offending or antisocial behaviour, unless a referral order has been given.
This is because a parent or carer of someone under 16 must attend referral order panels. A parenting order could be given to a young person aged 16 to 17 if it is judged to be in the best interest of the whole family.
Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO)
Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO) are given when a child or young person has persistently engaged in antisocial behaviour. The court can impose whatever measures it feels are needed to stop the person from committing further antisocial behaviour, such as stopping them from entering an area or associating with other named people. CBOs last at least 1 year and breaching a CBO is a criminal offence which can be punished by custody.
Fines
The court can impose a fine and the amount will be dependent on specific guidelines set by the court.
Detention and Training Order (DTO)
In the most serious cases a DTO can be issued to a child or young person who has been convicted of a crime in court. The child or young person will initially spend time in custody in either a:
- young offenders institute
- secure training centre, or
- secure children's home, depending on our assessment
Your YJS Practitioners will visit you within the first two weeks of your sentence to find out how you are getting on and help put a plan in place for when you leave.
On licence
The second part of the DTO will be spent 'on licence' in the community supervised by our service. This includes training and education to reduce the chances of them re-offending after release.
A DTO lasts for between 4 months and 2 years. the first half of a DTO will be spent in custody and the second half at a suitable address in the community.
You must attend appointments and activities arranged by your Practitioners during the second half of the DTO.
Finishing your DTO
When you finish your DTO your conviction will not immediately become spent (spent convictions do not affect you when you apply for most jobs in the future). You can ask your practitioners what this means and when it does become spent.