NCJ Number
158663
Date Published
1995
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Following a brief history of juvenile justice in Great Britain, this chapter focuses on the types of dispositional and sentencing options that are available for youth.
Abstract
In 1908 the British Government passed the Children Act, which abolished prison as a punishment for children under 14 years old and established special juvenile courts. From its inception, the juvenile justice system has attempted to cling to two, often conflicting, objectives: punishment and the welfare of the juvenile. In the modern youth court, the predominant philosophy of criminal justice is based on individual responsibility for actions, which leads to punishment. This conflicts with the social work ideology of the welfare of the child, based on diagnosis and treatment. Various criminal justice policies for age ranges are specified in British law; a child under 10 is incapable of criminal intent; children under 14 years old can be convicted of a criminal offense; arrested offenders aged 12 or over can be held in police custody if transfer to local accommodation is impracticable; offenders aged 15 or over can be remanded into prison custody if they are deemed a threat to the public; defendants aged 17 and over are subject to the same rules as adults in regard to conditions in police custody, bail, and remand; offenders aged 18 and over are adjudicated in an adult court. Other topics discussed in this chapter are police management of juveniles under police codes of practice, cautioning and diversion for juveniles, remanding juveniles in custody, and the statutory framework for sentencing young offenders. Remaining topics are noncustodial and penal measures for young offenders, community sentences, and custodial sentences. 2 tables and 19 footnotes