Unfortunately, you have found yourself or your young person facing a charge and need to attend court. What do you need to do?
Firstly, instruct and meet with your solicitor; the evidence and your instructions are discussed. If you plead not guilty your matter is set down for trial. If you are advised to plead guilty to the offence. What happens next?
When you attend court, a plea is entered and the prosecutor advises the court of the facts of the case and your solicitor will present your mitigation on your behalf.
The court will consider whether this is your first time in trouble and whether the offence is low level.
If it’s a low level offence and you have no previous convictions the court will be asked to consider a referral order.
So, what is it? A referral order is a sentence designed to assist young people between the ages 10 -17 who accept their wrongdoing at the earliest opportunity, especially if it is a first offence.
The referral order focuses on ensuring that you understand how your actions are wrong and to give you tools to make better and more informed choices in the future.
A referral order can last anywhere from 3 months to 1 year and is a ‘contract’ between you and the court. You must stick to the conditions; which can include community service and/or courses.
Alternatively the Court can consider a Rehabilitation Order. Theses are for more serious offences or if (you), the young person has previously committed offences.
A rehabilitation order is a stricter form of punishment and can last up to 3 years. It is a more structured approach to rehabilitating young offenders and seeks to get to the root cause of offending behaviours and provide support to young people.
The court can impose various conditions or rehabilitative schemes to prevent further offending and ensure public safety. There are no set types of conditions. The requirements of the order are to address the offending and what each young person (you) need help and support with to avoid committing further offences.
At Paul Robinson Solicitors we have a team of specialist Youth Court Solicitors who can advise you from the police station through to the Court process. If you require advice or assistance please contact us on 01702 338338.
