Youth Court

Magistrates' courts may deal with cases which involve people under 18 but only if they are tried with an adult. Young people also appear in the Crown Court if they are being jointly tried with an adult whose case needs to be heard in that court. Homicide and rape cases will always be heard in the Crown Court. The Youth Court may also send a young person to the Crown Court if the offence is very serious and the sentencing powers of the youth court are thought to be insufficient.

Unless the case is one of those mentioned above, 10 to 17 year olds will have their case dealt with in the Youth Court.

This is a specialised form of magistrates' court. As in the magistrates' court, the case will be heard by magistrates or by a District Judge (magistrates' courts). The Youth Court is not open to the general public and only those directly involved in the case will normally be in court. The press may attend court and report the proceedings but will not usually be allowed to publish the defendant's name.

A hearing in the Youth Court is similar to one in the magistrates' court though the procedure is adapted to take account of age of the defendant. The Magistrates and District Judges who sit in the Youth Court will receive specialist training on dealing with young people.

Magistrates who sit in the youth court are selected by the Lord Chancellor for Inner London and elected by their peers outside London. A common system of selection will be introduced when section 50 of the Courts Act 2003 comes into force.

Youth Courts have a range of sentences available to them. These are designed to prevent further offending and include the making of a Detention and Training Order of up to 2 years.