Childhood in care raises risk of entering English youth justice system eightfold – The Guardian

Posted September 21st, 2023 in care orders, children, criminal records, news, statistics, young offenders, youth courts by sally

‘The largest ever study of care experience and the youth justice system in England has revealed that children who have lived in care are eight times more likely to have received a youth justice caution or conviction than those who have not.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 21st September 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

CPS launches Defendants strategy with pledge to focus on mental health, youth justice and disproportionality – Crown Prosecution Service

‘A commitment to fairness for all parties is at the heart of a new Defendants Strategy, launched today by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 13th July 2022

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

MPs call for review of age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2020 in children, criminal responsibility, minorities, news, young persons, youth courts by tracey

‘Conservative and Labour MPs have asked the government to consider raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 in England and Wales and to explain why a disproportionate number of children in custody are from a minority ethnic (BAME) background.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 12th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

MPs demand explanation for disproportionate numbers of Black teens in custody – The Independent

‘A parliamentary committee is demanding an explanation from ministers for the “disproportionate” incarceration of Black and minority ethnic (Bame) teenagers, after a report found they make up more than half of inmates youth custody.’

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The Independent, 12th November 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Advocacy shake-up to hit trainees but not youth courts – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is to end the practice of allowing trainee solicitors to obtain higher rights of audience (HRA) but has reversed course on its proposed approach to advocacy in the youth courts.’

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Legal Futures, 28th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

English youth courts need urgent help to cut delays, review finds – The Guardian

Posted June 30th, 2020 in delay, news, time limits, youth courts by sally

‘Urgent action is required to address delays in “overburdened” youth courts, and there should be a time limit for police to charge a young person with a crime, a review of the youth justice service in England has concluded.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 30th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Youth courts: are we still failing our most vulnerable? – Counsel

Posted May 19th, 2020 in children, courts, criminal justice, news, young persons, youth courts by sally

‘Have the 2013 reforms improved the youth justice experience at all or were they simply good intentions, poorly executed? A walkthrough of the key issues – and ideas for change – by Tori Adams and Kirsty Day.’

Full Story

Counsel, May 2020

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

The girl forced to wait two years for justice after a sexual assault – The Guardian

Posted November 6th, 2019 in children, delay, news, prosecutions, sexual offences, youth courts by sally

‘Lawyers say cuts to police and the CPS mean long delays in youth courts are no longer unusual.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 5th November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Revealed: hundreds of children pushed into adult courts by delays – The Guardian

Posted November 6th, 2019 in children, criminal records, delay, news, young offenders, youth courts by sally

‘Those who turn 18 before first court appearance face tougher treatment regardless of age when they committed offence.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 5th November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Youth court system in ‘chaos’, says children’s commissioner – The Guardian

Posted November 4th, 2019 in children, news, young offenders, youth courts by sally

‘Vulnerable children in England and Wales waiting months for convictions, appearing without adult support and being wrongly placed in dock, Guardian investigation finds.’

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The Guardian, 3rd November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Share of convicted children who are BAME doubles in eight years – The Guardian

Posted November 4th, 2019 in children, minorities, news, statistics, young persons, youth courts by sally

‘The proportion of children convicted of a crime who are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds has nearly doubled in eight years, an increase experts have described as an urgent problem.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 4th November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Children in handcuffs: a month reporting from youth court – The Guardian

Posted November 4th, 2019 in children, news, young offenders, youth courts by sally

‘The Guardian goes inside one of England’s busiest youth courts, where every day the fate of some of the most vulnerable children in society is decided.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 3rd November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

How do youth courts in England and Wales function? – The Guardian

‘There are differences in how children are prosecuted, who hears cases and punishments.’

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The Guardian, 3rd November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Too many children in care end up in the criminal justice system – we need to do better – Family Law

Posted October 10th, 2019 in children, criminal justice, news, young offenders, youth courts by tracey

‘Laura Cooper writes about the crucial role that youth justice lawyers have to play in reducing the criminalisation of looked after children at the police station.’

Full Story

Family Law, 9th October 2019

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Immaturity means young adults need more support in court, report says – The Guardian

‘Young adults should be given special treatment in court because they are immature and need help understanding proceedings, according to a report by an influential legal reform group. The call for a fresh approach for 18- to 24-year-olds comes from the Centre for Justice Innovation as the sharp rise in knife crime highlights the criminal justice system’s problems in dealing with that age group.’

Full Story

the Guardian, 10th April 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Bar Council say BSB registration plan risks deterring barristers from youth court work – Legal Futures

Posted October 16th, 2017 in advocacy, barristers, news, remuneration, youth courts by sally

‘The Bar Council has strongly attacked a plan by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) for the compulsory registration of youth court advocates, the first scheme of its type.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 16th October 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

S v Director of Public Prosecutions – WLR Daily

S v Director of Public Prosecutions [2017] EWHC 1162 (Admin)

‘The defendant was charged with an offence of tampering with a motor vehicle contrary to section 25 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and tried before justices in the Youth Court. The justices dismissed a submission by the defendant that there was no case to answer and, having heard evidence from the defendant and considered the burden and standard of proof, the justices convicted him. A contemporaneuos note of the justices’ reasons read, inter alia: “We listened to the [defendant’s] evidence which did not persuade us that there was no intention to tamper with the [motor vehicle]. We are therefore sure you are guilty.”’

WLR Daily, 18th May 2017

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

BSB: “self-certification” the way forward for youth court barristers – Legal Futures

Posted March 7th, 2017 in barristers, news, youth courts by tracey

‘Barristers in the youth courts will have to make a declaration that they have reached the standards set out by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) to continue providing the service, it has emerged.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 7th March 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB announces new regulatory approach to improve advocacy standards within Youth Courts – Bar Standards Board

Posted February 27th, 2017 in advocacy, barristers, legal representation, press releases, standards, youth courts by tracey

‘At its Board meeting last night, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) agreed new measures to improve standards of advocacy within Youth Courts. The regulator today published new guidance for barristers working in youth proceedings based on a set of essential competences that are expected of all advocates working with young people.’

Full press release

Bar Standards Board, 24th February 2017

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Review urges higher fees and mandatory training to combat “poor-quality” advice in Youth Courts – Legal Futures

Posted December 14th, 2016 in fees, legal aid, legal education, legal representation, news, youth courts by sally

‘The status and quality of legal representation for children before the Youth Court need to be raised first by an increase in legal aid rates and then by mandatory training for all solicitors and barristers appearing for them, a government-commissioned review has recommended.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 14th December 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk