NCJ Number
140721
Date Published
1991
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Duties of local authorities in Great Britain with regard to young offenders are defined by several Acts of Parliament.
Abstract
The Children and Young Persons Act 1933, the Children and Young Persons Act 1969, the Criminal Justice Act 1982, and the Criminal Justice Act 1988 form the basis of current juvenile justice legislation and the responsibilities of local authorities. These earlier statutes provided that most young people were held in local authority secure accommodation or youth treatment centers, established intermediate treatment programs, and developed criteria for custody for juvenile offenders. The more recent Children Act 1989 introduced a new family proceedings court for noncriminal matters, made local authorities responsible for reducing the need to bring proceedings for juvenile case and supervision orders to court and reducing the need to prosecute children, and tightened the criteria for secure accommodation orders. The Criminal Justice Act 1991 raised the upper age limit of the youth courts, introduced probation orders and curfews for 16- and 17-year olds, made parents and local authorities responsible for the financial penalties of juvenile offenders, and abolished custodial sentences for young juvenile offenders.