Youth Restorative Disposal

The Youth Restorative Disposal (YRD) is a new option for Police which holds 10 to 17 year olds to account for minor crime and disorder through the use of Restorative Justice.

YRDs are only an option for low-level incidents, where guilt is admitted and where there is a practical option for an apology or for the young person to put right the harm or loss they have caused. It aims to strike the right balance between addressing the offence and providing support for young people in encouraging them to not commit further instances of crime or anti-social behaviour.

Police Reprimand

A Police Reprimand is a formal verbal warning given by a Police Officer to a young person who admits they are guilty of a minor first offence. Sometimes the young person and their family can be referred to the YOS to take part in a voluntary programme to help them address their offending behaviour or offer support to the family to prevent future offending.

Final Warning

A young person may receive a Final Warning for a more serious first offence or for a second offence (if they have previously received a reprimand) if they plead guilty. Any young person receiving a Final Warning will be granted Police Bail to allow them the opportunity to engage with the YOS. A member of the YOS will visit the young offender and their family and undertake an assessment of their risk of re-offending, if required an intervention programme will then be put together which the young person must comply with.

Referral Order

A Referral Order is usually made when a young person appears in court for the first time, and pleads guilty. A Referral Order can last between 3 and 12 months. When the court makes a Referral Order the young offender is referred to a Referral Order Panel or Youth Offender Panel.

Referral Order Panels are made up of at least two trained volunteers from the community (Community Panel Members), a member of the YOS and the young person and their parents/guardians. In addition, victims are also invited to attend. At the panel meeting, the offence is discussed, and suitable remedies for the situation are decided upon. Victims will have the opportunity, if they wish, to say how they have been affected by the offence, ask questions, receive an explanation and/or an apology and discuss how the offender can make practical reparation for the harm that has been caused. Throughout the panel meeting, a contract is drawn up to address the issues and the offender is expected to comply with this contract for the duration of their order. If the young offender fails to agree a contract or fails to abide by it during the term of the order, the case is referred back to the court for re-sentencing.

When a young person successfully completes their Referral Order it is immediately ‘spent’ from their criminal record.

Reparation Orders

Reparation Orders are designed to help young offenders understand the consequences of their offending and take responsibility for their behaviour. They require the young person to repair the harm caused by their offence either directly to the victim or indirectly to the community. Examples of this might be cleaning up graffiti or undertaking community work.

Youth Rehabilitation Order

From 30th November 2009, courts have been able to sentence a young offender to a Youth Rehabilitation Order (YRO). The YRO is a new community sentence that replaces some of the old sentences. These orders are supervised by the YOS. This Order is only available to young people who have committed offences on or after 30th November 2009.

The YRO is a robust community sentence providing a ‘menu’ of interventions for tackling offending behaviour and the sentence can be used again on multiple occasions, minimising the use of custody. There are no restrictions on the number of times an offender can be sentenced to a YRO. Courts would be expected to use the YRO on multiple occasions, adapting the menu as appropriate to deal with the offending behaviour.

There are various requirements that can be attached to a YRO and these will be decided by the Court (leaflet below for more information).

For more information about the YRO see the attached information leaflet - designed by young people from the YOS.

ISS

Intensive Supervision & Surveillance (ISS) is a special programme for serious and/or prolific young offenders who are at risk of being sent to custody. It helps very troubled young people to turn their lives around. ISS can be part of Bail Supervision and Support, or it can be part of a YRO made by a Court. Some young people who are being released from custodial sentences may also go on ISS to help them resettle in their community.

ISS provides 3 months of High Intensity supervision (at least 25 hours each week, supported by a home curfew and electronic tagging) for each young offender. If they stay out of trouble, they reduce to 5-10 hours of weekly supervision for another 3 months.

During this time, the young person is closely monitored by YOS staff, by their local Police and by an electronic tag attached to their ankle. Failure to co-operate with the rules means going back to court, very quickly, and if the young person doesn’t show enough commitment to the programme they might be sent to custody instead.

Every young person has their own plan, tailored to tackle the root causes of their offending behaviour. The assessment starts from the risk of re-offending, but includes their needs, capabilities, interests and aspirations.

Supervision is provided 365 days a year, often outside of office hours and at weekends, so that we can respond to the needs of young people and minimise the risk they may pose to others.

Scaled Approach

The Scaled Approach model aims to ensure YOS interventions are tailored to the young person in terms of both criminogenic risk and need, with more resources directed to those most likely to reoffend and/or pose a risk of serious harm to others. It provides a framework for assessment, proposals to court and youth offender panels, interventions and review.

The main principal underpinning the Scaled Approach is that assessment determines the frequency of YOS contact and type of intervention. There is a clear focus on the likelihood of reoffending and risk of serious harm to others.

The Scaled Approach should be used by the YOS to determine the level of intervention (either standard, enhanced or intensive) required when a child or young person is subject to one of the following court orders:

• Referral Order
• YRO when a supervision requirement is made
• Community element of a custodial sentence
• Supervision Order and Action Plan Orders where a young person is convicted after 30.11.09 for offences committed before that date.