What is the Youth Court?
How is the Youth Court different from the adult courts?
What is community work?
When can a young person be transferred to the adult Courts?
What is a Family Group Conference?
When is Family Group Conference called?
What is the Youth Court?
The Youth Court is a division of the District Court that deals with young people aged 14 to 16.
How is the Youth Court different from the adult courts?
It’s less formal than other courts. Youth Court hearings are closed to the general public. News reporters can be there, but can’t publish your name or your parents’ names, or any information that could identify you or your parents. Reporters can publish other information about your case if they get the Judge’s permission.
Under the Youth Court system, when you are found guilty of a crime or crimes the Judge will keep your age, welfare and circumstances in mind in deciding what sentence (or punishment) you will receive. This means that the punishments tend to be different from those given in the adult courts. For instance, your family may be asked for their ideas about what the sentence could be. The focus might be on how you could give something back to the community – doing some community work (see below).
What is community work?
Community work is a community-based sentence that requires offenders to do unpaid work in the community to make up for the offence or offences they’ve committed. Offenders usually work on projects sponsored by local councils, government agencies, voluntary organisations, marae organisations, sports groups and other community groups e.g. working on a mural for the local Youth Group.
When can a young person be transferred to the adult courts?
Young people who commit serious offences such as murder, burglary, rape or serious assault, or those who repeatedly offend, can be transferred from the Youth Court to the appropriate District or High Court to have their case heard.
The District and High Courts can impose different sentences from the Youth court, such as imprisonment or supervision by a probation officer (which can include drug and alcohol counselling or anger management).
What is a Family Group Conference?
This is a meeting of your family or whanau, the Police and others to discuss your offending or alleged offending.
Family Group Conferences are an important part of the Youth Justice system. They’re designed to keep you away from the Court system, but to make sure you face up to your offending and participate in deciding what sentence you receive. They provide a way to help your family work out how to support you, and also give the victim (if there is one) a chance to be involved in deciding what you may be required to do to make amends..
When is a Family Group Conference called?
A Family Group Conference can be ordered
- if you’re arrested and taken to the Youth Court and don’t deny the charge, the Judge will order a conference to be held
- if you’ve been charged but weren’t arrested, you can’t be taken to the Youth Court unless a Family Group Conference has already been held
- if you haven’t been arrested but have been warned, cautioned or visited by Police Youth Aid, a Family Group Conference can be held if the Police think there needs to be further action