Young people who commit offences and need to be taken to court are dealt with by a youth court rather than the adult magistrates court. The youth court consists of specially trained magistrates and only deals with young people. The Youth Offending Team works closely with the youth court to ensure that full information is available on all young people who are sentenced in the youth court.
Youth courts are less formal than magistrates' courts, are more open and engage more with the young person appearing in court and their family. Youth courts are essentially private places and members of the public are not allowed in. The victim(s) of the crime, however, has/have the opportunity to attend the hearings of the court if they want to, but they must make a request to the court if they wish to do so. The needs and wishes of victims will always be considered by the court and, through the Youth Offending Team ( YOT ), they often have the opportunity to have an input into the sentencing process.