8. Youths
In criminal law, a youth is a person under 18 years of age.
Being fair to young people
The UK has signed up to two United Nations rules about children:
- The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
- The Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (1985)
Prosecutors must remember this.
Prosecutors must also remember that the big aim of the youth justice system is to stop children and young people from committing crimes.
Prosecutors must think about the interests of the young person and balance this against the public interest to prosecute someone.
Prosecutors should not avoid prosecuting someone just because of their age.
The seriousness of the crime or the young person's past behaviour is very important.
What can young people be charged with?
Young people are usually given something called a 'final warning' when they do a crime.
Reprimands, final warnings and conditional cautions are used to stop the young person doing the crime again. The case does not go to court.
If the young person keeps on doing crimes, then a prosecution is in the public interest.
However, the case can go straight to the prosecutor and to court if the crime is very serious or the young person refused to say they were guilty.
