Courts and orders
This area provides YOT practitioners, magistrates, the police, Crown Prosecution Service and others working in courts with information relating to youth and crown courts and the orders that can be bestowed by them.
Guidance is available on all the relevant disposals that can be given to a young person. We also have information on managing demand for custody, including appropriate use of remand.
YOTs should view training materials for Youth Offender Panel volunteers, our Referral Order databases and Making it Count in Court, which provides practitioners with a framework for effective delivery in court.
Additionally, the National Standards for Youth Justice Services has guidelines for court reports and Youth Offender Panels on page 43, work in courts on page 53, and court-ordered interventions/disposals on page 61.
Youth Court Database in England and Wales
This database shows the list of YOTs plus the youth court/magistrates’ court used by each YOT.
Some courts and Young Offenders Institutes now have prison-court video link facilities that YOTs can use.
The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act
Read more about the Act and the impact it will have on the youth justice system.
Court warrants
A warrant will be issued when a young person is remanded, or receives a custodial sentence. A court warrant is a legal document that ensures young people can be transported legally from court to secure establishments and to be legally detained in custody.
YOT practitioners attending court should ensure the following:
- The young person's full name is written correctly.
- The date of birth is correct.
- The sentence details are correct.
- The warrant is signed and correctly dated by a legal adviser or judge.
The YJB and HM Courts Service have jointly produced a court warrant checklist for YOTs, courts, and secure establishments. Completing the checklist correctly will ensure that young people are transported promptly and delays are reduced in the admission process at secure establishments.
Download the court warrants checklist.
For more information on the checklist, download the guidance for use.
