Youth Justice

Orders and sentences for children and young people

There are different types of orders or sentences that you might get.

Find out more about:

Out-of court-resolutions (OOCs)

Out-of-court resolutions (OOCs) are short-term programmes which look at diverting children and young people who commit less serious crimes away from going through the court. This means that you do not have a criminal conviction.

The police or the court will decide whether your case will be diverted.

Once it has been decided, a YJS worker will be in touch with you and your family. They'll complete an assessment with you to understand what’s happened, what we can do to support you and how you can be involved in what happens next.

We'll listen to you and find out what’s going on in your life and what your views are about the future. We'll also talk to your parents or carers. We'll also ask other services about you, like your school or college.

Once the assessment is complete, the worker will present your case to a panel where a decision will be made about whether it is suitable to be diverted away from court. Once the decision is made, the worker will inform you of the result. If it has been agreed, an appointment will be made to sign any documents and make a plan of the next steps.

The types of OOCs include:

  • Community Resolution - a voluntary programme offered when you have admitted to the offence
  • Outcome 22 (no further action) - no further action will be taken by the police and you'll be offered the opportunity to do work with Medway YJS to support you
  • Outcome 22 (deferred caution) - when a caution is put on hold until you have done a programme of work with Medway YJS
  • Youth Caution - this is issued by the police. Your worker will make a plan with you to understand what happened and make positive changes. You'll have to sign the caution to confirm you have agreed
  • Youth Conditional Caution - this is issued by the police and will come with specific conditions that you'll need to agree to. This will usually last for 3 months. If you do not agree or do not come to your appointments, your case may be returned to court
  • Charge to Court - the panel might decide that your crime is too serious that they cannot decide what the outcome should be. You'll have to go to court for your case to be heard.

Find out how the Youth Justice Service (YJS) will support you with your order.

Referral Order

Referral Orders are given in court usually for a first time offence where a guilty plea is entered. They can be between 3 and 12 months.

After court you'll appear before a Referral Order Panel accompanied by your parent or carer. A contract will be developed with you setting out what you'll need to do to complete your order.

Referral Orders aim to help stop you offending again and make sure you're aware of the impact and consequences of your behaviour, including the wishes and feelings of the victim of your crime.

They give you a second chance of a non-criminal future. The sentence is 'spent ' at the end of the order if you have kept to the terms of your contract.

Find out how the Youth Justice Service (YJS) will support you with your order.

Youth Rehabilitation Order (YRO)

There is no minimum period for a Youth Rehabilitation Order but they can last up to 3 years.  

These can be tailored to the needs of the individual child or young person, the risk of harm and the risk of re-offending.

Each sentence has different requirements. These include:

  • Supervision Requirement
  • Programme Requirement
  • Activity Requirement
  • Attendance Centre Requirement
  • Curfew Requirement
  • Education Requirement
  • Residence Requirement
  • Local Authority Residence Requirement
  • Drug Treatment Requirement
  • Drug Testing Requirement
  • Mental Health Treatment Requirement
  • Intoxicating Substance Treatment Requirement
  • Exclusion Requirement
  • Prohibited Activity Requirement
  • Electronic Monitoring Requirement
  • Unpaid Work Requirement.

Instead of custody, the court may also impose a YRO with:

  • Intensive Supervision and Surveillance (for cases that meet the custody threshold)
  • Intensive Fostering (for cases that meet the custody threshold).

Youth Rehabilitation Order with Intensive Supervision and Surveillance (ISS)

A YRO with ISS is the highest level of community sentencing available for young people.

It will include community-based surveillance focused on working out why you have committed the offences you have been sentenced for and understanding your behaviour.

The order will include direct or indirect payback and access to support and positive opportunities.

Find out how the Youth Justice Service (YJS) will support you with your order.

Detention and Training Order (DTO)

If you’re aged between 12 and 17 you could get a Detention and Training Order. This lasts between 4 months and 2 years.

You would serve the first half of the sentence in custody. The second half of the sentence you would serve in the community ‘under supervision’.

You must meet certain conditions when serving a sentence under supervision.

If you break the conditions while under supervision, you might be sent back into custody.

Find out how the Youth Justice Service (YJS) will support you with your order.

Longer custodial sentences

If you’re under 18 you could get a longer custodial sentence for a serious crime. For example, a crime that was violent or sexual.

You would serve some of the sentence in custody. The rest of the sentence you would serve in the community ‘on licence’.

You must meet certain conditions when serving a sentence on licence.

Find out how the Youth Justice Service (YJS) will support you with your order.

Life sentences

If you’re found guilty of murder, a court must give you a life sentence. A court could give a life sentence for other serious offences like rape or armed robbery.

The court decides how long you must serve in custody before you can be considered for parole.

If you’re released, you’ll be put on licence for the rest of your life.

Apply for parole if you're a young offender

How your order will work

You'll have a Youth Justice Service (YJS) worker who will work with you and help you through your order.

They'll talk to you about your needs, any problems you may have and work together on a plan which will help you with these.

It's important that you talk honestly with your YJS worker. They can look at ways of helping you make good choices in life that will help you in the future.

Going to appointments

Once you receive your order, your YJS worker will set up appointments with you to support you through the process.

Some of these will be at the Youth Justice Service office at Strood Youth Centre. They'll take place during our opening hours which are from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. Sometimes we can stay open later if it's difficult for you to make it (for example you have a job, course or activity that finishes at 5pm).

Other appointments may be at other places in Medway. Your YJS worker will tell you where your appointments will be and can help you in finding the places. There will always be someone from the YJS at other buildings you might go to.

We also complete work in the community on a Saturday. It may be that you'll complete your reparation on this day.

Your appointments will last:

  • normally between 30 minutes and 1 hour
  • 1 to 3 hours for some groups
  • up to 3 hours or most of the day for work in the community.

If they're longer, you'll get breaks and refreshments throughout the day.

Whatever days you attend we'll always let you and your parent or carer know beforehand. We'll never give you appointments at times when you should be in school, college or when you're working.

You should not come with friends to appointments. Your friends will be asked to wait outside and will not be allowed in the building. Sometimes you'll be asked to come with your parent, carer or other adult (for example a mentor or other family member).

What your Youth Justice Service worker will do

Your Youth Justice Service worker will:

  • meet you on time for your appointments
  • listen to you (you can talk about anything you feel comfortable with, but remember we will share some things with others)
  • speak to you in a way you can understand
  • explain the reasons why we are asking you to do things
  • help you if you have any difficulties doing what you've been asked to do
  • be ready and prepared for sessions
  • talk to you about why you did the crime and how you can avoid doing it again in the future
  • treat you with respect.

They'll talk to you and complete a safety mapping document with you. They'll talk about any areas you may not feel safe or any other young people you may not feel safe around. You may also need to give proof such as reports to the police.

Your Youth Justice Service worker will then give all this information to a manager and they'll agree on what to do.

If you plan to go on holiday, you must let your YJS Worker know and they'll then tell you if you can. You'll be asked to provide evidence of this holiday such as travel tickets and for how long you will be away.

Contacting your YJS worker

If you cannot get hold of your YJS worker and you need to speak with someone at the YJS phone 01634 336 225. Ask to speak to the duty worker who will be able to help you.