Advice for young people appearing in court

The other people that you meet in court will be:

• A representative from the Youth Offending Service (YOS) who will advise the court regarding sentence options. The YOS Officer may speak with you and your family in court. They will record the court result and inform you what the outcome means for you and your family
• A Crown Prosecutor (CPS) who will prosecute the offence for which you have been charged with. They will inform the court of the details of the offence and any bail conditions which may be required
• A legal advisor who is there to advise the magistrates or district judge (dependant on who is sitting)
• Either three magistrates who are laypeople, which means that they have not been trained in criminal law, but have undergone specific training for this role OR one district judge, who is a full-time member of the judiciary who hears cases in Youth Courts

There are usually two district judges who sit in the West Hampshire Youth Court.

The court will be a closed court. This means that members of the public are not allowed to sit in and view the proceedings.

When your case is called on to be heard in the court you will sit near to the magistrates. The legal advisor will ask you to identify yourself. The charges will then be put to you and you will be asked to enter a plea.

If you plead not guilty then the court will hear an outline of the offence and a discussion may be held as to why you have pleaded 'not guilty'. The case will then be listed for a trial and a further court date will be set.

If you plead guilty then the Crown Prosecutor will inform the court about the offence and the magistrates will then ask your legal representative, if you have one, to provide information about you and your circumstances.

The court will hope to sentence you for your offences at the earliest opportunity and will aim to do this if possible on the first time you appear in court. If the offence is so serious and the court feel that a custodial sentence should be considered, then they will request that the Youth Offending Service complete a pre-sentence report (PSR). The court will adjourn for a period of about three weeks for this to be completed.

You can contact the Youth Offending service for more information. Email the Youth Justice Service or call them on 023 8083 4900 and ask for the duty officer.