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Y

Youth Offending Teams (YOT)

There is a Youth Offending Team in every area in England and Wales. They are made up of representatives from the police, probation service, social services, health and education.

YOT’s respond to the different needs of young offenders. The YOT identifies the needs of the young people using a national assessment form. The YOT team can then find suitable programmes to address the needs of the young person with the intention of preventing any more offending. The YOT’s often write reports to the court about the young person and recommend what might help them stop offending.

Sentences you can get in court

Section 90/91 is a custodial sentence for very serious offences.

Detention and Training Orders (DTO) - is a sentence to custody for 12-17 year olds and can last four months to twelve months. The first half is spent in custody and the second half is spent in the community under the supervision of the YOT.

Supervision Order - this can last up to three years and a range of conditions can be attached when the sentence is for more serious offences. A young person is supervised by a YOT worker and is required to take part in activities to repair harm done by their offending and do programmes to address the offending.

Community Rehabilitation Order - this is for 16-17 year olds and is the equivalent to a Supervision Order and can include activities such as repairing harm caused by their offence.

Community Punishment Order - this is for 16-17 year olds and requires a young person to complete unpaid community work for a period of 40-240 hours.

Community Rehabilitation and Punishment Order - this is for 16-17 year olds and involves elements of both Orders as above.

The above three orders are due to be changed on 4 April 2005 when the Criminal Justice Act 2003 comes in.

Action Plan Order - this is an intensive community based programme lasting 3 months. It is specially tailored to the risks and needs of the young person. It can include repairing harm done, education and training or attending an Attendance Centre or other programmes to address offending.

Attendance Centre Order - this sentences a young person to an Attendance Centre usually run by the Police. The activities include discipline, physical training and work on social skills. It can last up to 36 hours.

Referral Order - this can be given if a young person pleads guilty and it’s their first time in court apart from if it’s for a very serious offence. The young person has to attend a Youth Offending Panel and agreed to a contract lasting between three and 12 months. The contract is about repairing the harm done by the offending and addressing the offending behaviour.

Reparation Order - these orders require the young person to repair the harm done by their offending for example cleaning up graffiti or doing some community work. This might be directly to the victim or indirectly to the community.

Fine - the size of a fine reflects depends on the offence and on the finances of the young person. Parents or carers are responsible for fines for under 16’s.

Conditional Discharge - the young person who gets this does not receive any immediate punishment for a period of six months to three years. If a young person does not commit another offence in the period that is set, then no punishment will be imposed. If the young person does commit another offence during the period, they can be brought back to court and re-sentenced.

Absolute Discharge - this is when a young person pleads or is found guilty and no further action is taken.

Curfew Order - with this order the young person has to remain in a set place for an amount of time between two and 12 hours a day. The sentence can last for 6 months if over 16 and for three months if under 16.

Parenting Order - these orders are given to the parents of young people who offend, truant, or have other orders called Child Safety Order, Anti-Social Behaviour Order or Sex Offenders Order. The parents might have to go to counselling or guidance sessions or be required to attend places for their child or make sure their child stays home at certain times. The parent can be prosecuted if they don’t go along with the order.

Drug Treatment and Testing Order - this is for young people over 16 who are misusing drugs and need treatment. The young person has to agree to comply with the order before it can be made. The young person would receive regular drug testing and treatment in the community and be supervised by the Probation Service.

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