Court Orders
In the Court there are 6 different types of Court orders that can be issued, these are:
This requires the offender to attend a youth offender panel (made up of two members of the local community and an advisor from a youth offending team) and agree a contract which will last between three months and a year.
The aim is for the offender to make up for the harm caused and address their offending behaviour. An order must be imposed for a first time young offender who has pleaded quility (unless the court decides that another sentence is justified) and may be imposed in other circumstances.
This is a community sentence which can include one or more of 18 different requirements that the offender must comply with for up to three years. Some examples of the requirmenets that can be imposed are a curfew, supervision, unpaid work, electronic monitoring, drug treatment, mental health treatment and education requirements.
Intensive Supervision & Surveillance (ISS) is an alternative to custody. It is not created by statute and is an intensive community-based programme for young offenders that can be accessed via existing disposals (i.e. as part of a YRO, conditions on bail or part of supervision following a DTO).
The local YOT will indicate whether the offender is suitable for ISS but it is a matter for the court whether bail is granted and whether ISS conditions are attached. Conditions may include tagging and voice verification.
Breach of bail with ISS is dealt with like any other breach (i.e. arrest and production to the court). May be able to offer an ISS package on bail, which will provide a minimum of 25 hours contact time each week, including time and weekends and evenings.
Young offenders can recieve custodial sentences but they will only be imposed in the most serious cases. When they are given, they aim to provide training and education and rehabilitate the offender so they don't reoffend. Sentences can be spent in secure children's homes, secure training centres and young offender institutions.
If a young person between 12 and 17 years old is sentenced in the youth court, a Detention and Training Order is available. This can last between four months and two years. In the Crown Court, a Detention and Training Order can also be given - the same as in the youth court.
For more serious offences in the crown court, longer term detention is available where the offence committed carries a maximum sentence of at least 14 years' imprisonment or is one of the offences listed in section 91 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act, 2000.
This is a mandatory life sentence and will be imposed when an offender is convicted or pleads guility to murder. Schedule 21 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 states that the starting point for determing the minimum sentence where the offender is under 18 years of age, is 12 years as opposed to 15 years for those over the age of 18.