Support for children involved in or at risk of crime

This YouTube video may help you understand what happens if you are arrested and taken to the police station.

Source: At the Police Station (Just Kids for Law)

If you are arrested, you will normally be taken to a police station. If you are under 18 the police must try to contact your parents or carers.

If you are under 18 you have the right to have an ‘appropriate adult’ with you at the police station. An appropriate adult must be over 18 years old and could be a parent, carer, relative or social worker. They cannot be someone who may have witnessed or been involved in what you have been arrested for.

If no one is available to act as your appropriate adult, the Police will arrange for someone to come to the Police Station for you.

You are entitled to free legal advice from a solicitor you chose or a duty solicitor who the Police can contact for you. They will give you advice on how to answer any questions the Police may ask you.

The police will interview you and this should always be with your solicitor and an appropriate adult present. We would always recommend having these two people to support you.

The police will attempt to gather all information about what is alleged to have happened to decide what to do next. Their decision will be made on what information the Police have and the seriousness of the alleged behaviour.

You could be released from police custody without further action.

The Buckinghamshire Youth Justice & Support Team works with the Police to see if we can support you to receive Out of Court Disposals (OOCDs). This would keep the matter away from the court.

Our role is to consider the information about you and propose the most appropriate outcome. If you are being considered for an Out of Court Disposal, we will meet with you and carry out an assessment, inform you of our proposal and what final decision has been made.

Possible Out of Court Disposals that are available are:

- no further action

- community resolution

- youth caution

- youth conditional caution

- outcome 20 or 22

A short film on what to expect at the Youth Court (Just Kids for Law)

If you are a child (under 18 years old) from Buckinghamshire appearing in court, you can contact us on 01296 434624. We can discuss any worries or questions you might have.

A Youth Court is a specialist court for children. They are less formal than an adult court and are designed to make it easier to know what is happening. Children are called by their first names and the judge or magistrates will speak directly to you and may ask you questions.

If you are under 16 years old, you must attend with a parent or carer.

If you are 16 or 17 years old you may attend with a parent, carer or someone who can support you. We would recommend this.

Members of the public are not allowed in a Youth Court and no information that would identify you is allowed to be reported by the press.

You must go to court on the correct day and time. If you do not turn up you could be arrested.

• If there is a very good reason why you cannot go you must let the court know straight away. They will tell you what to do (for example, if you are ill you may have to send in a doctor’s note).
• The court expects your parents or carers to come and may order them to if you turn up on your own.
• If you do not have a solicitor, you can ask to see the duty solicitor when you arrive at court.
• Someone from the Youth Justice and Support Team will be there to make sure you know what is going on and can answer any questions you might have.

If you are a child (10 to 17 years old) appearing in court for the first time and have pleaded guilty, you may be given a referral order. The length of a referral order can be between 3 and 12 months. The Court decides how long the order is, based on the information they have.

Once the Court has made a referral Order, a member of the Youth Justice and Support Team will meet with you and your parent or carer several times. They will complete an assessment and produce a report for the referral order panel.

The referral order panel takes place within 20 days of you being in court. You must go along with your parent or carer.

The panel is a meeting with:

• volunteers who are trained to take part in these panels
• a worker from the Youth Justice and Support Team
• you
• your parent or carer
• sometimes those affected by what happened will also join the panel

During the referral order panel, a plan will be put together for what you will need to do. This plan might include:

• reparation work (giving back to the community and/or to those affected)
• making sure you are getting help and support

A Youth Rehabilitation Order may be given if you have either been found guilty at trial after pleading ‘not guilty’, or you have pleaded ‘guilty’ at court and have had a previous Referral Order.

A Youth Rehabilitation Order can last for up to three years. It is a community sentence and can have one or more requirements attached to it. This means you will need to meet with the Youth Justice and Support Team regularly to complete different activities and tasks.

The type of activities that you may need to do to complete a YRO programme include:

• supervision (meeting with your worker regularly)
• education or training
• reparation (giving back to the community)
• family support
• a programme of activities
• unpaid work
• curfew
• prohibited activities (things you are not allowed to do)
• restorative justice (an approach to help everyone affected move forward)

As well as Referral Orders and Youth Rehabilitation Orders there are other outcomes or sentences that the court may give, these include:

• a fine (paying money)
• an absolute discharge/conditional discharge
• a Detention and Training Order (this means serving a period in custody with the remainder in the community with conditions)
• if you are appearing before the Crown Court (instead of the Magistrates Court) there are further sentencing options available
• after your Court Hearing, a Youth Justice and Support Officer will be able to help you and your parents/carers understand the outcome