Youth Offending Service - a guide for young people

What happens at court?

Someone from the YOS will be at court to explain what is going to happen. They will advise the court about you and your situation. If you are under 16yrs old, you must attend with a parent or carer. If you are 16 or 17yrs old, you can still be supported by a parent, carer or supporting adult. Court can be a difficult and stressful time, so it is best for them to come if they can.

Most young people go to the youth court, which is less formal than an adult court. If you have been charged with an offence alongside any adults, you will have to go to the adult magistrate’s court. You might have to go to Crown Court if your alleged crime is very serious.

Your allocated YOS officer will conduct an assessment with you and your parents/carers. They will then write a report about you. This is called a pre-sentence report.

Watch this video about 'Going to Court', from Just For Kids Law: 

Court Sentencing

Most children and young people who attend court, have an outcome from the Youth Court.

The outcomes could be:

• Absolute Discharge - No further punishment.
• Conditional Discharge - No further punishment, but if you commit another crime within a set period, this crime would also be given a more serious outcome, along with the new crime.
• Fine - You can be asked to pay a fine. The amount of the fine will depend on the seriousness of the offence. Your parents are required to pay the fine if you are under 16yrs old (their ability to pay would be considered).
• Referral Order - This will require you to be supervised in the community. The court will decide how long you will have to complete work in the community while you are being supervised. This could be from 6 months, up to 1 year. You will have to attend regular Panel meetings, called ‘Referral Order Panels’. They have 2 members of the local community working with the youth offending team. They will write a contract with you, about how you can repair the harm you might have caused and give back to the community. They will take the views of the victim into account.
• Youth Rehabilitation Order - This will require you to be supervised in the community. This is normally between 1 and 3 years. You will have regular appointment with the YOS. The frequency might reduce over time. You may have requirements from the court, such as electronic monitoring, a curfew or to live in a certain place.
• Custody (Prison) - For a very small number of children and young people, the crime is so serious that the court give a custodial sentence. This means you must go to prison for a set amount of time. When you are released, you will then be supervised by the YOS for another set period (under certain conditions).

There are different types of custody:

• Secure Children’s Home
• Secure Training Centre or College
• Young Offenders Institute

All of these places have staff that are trained to work with children and young people. You will be able to have visits from your family.

The YOS will continue to support you and maintain contact with you, working towards the time when you are released.

You will have frequent meetings and be offered support to live a positive lifestyle when you return to your community.