Young offender

Young offender

A young offender is a young person who has been convicted or cautioned for a criminal offence. Criminal justice systems often deal with young offenders differently from adult offenders, but different countries apply the term 'young offender' to different age groups depending on the age of criminal responsibility in that country.

Contents

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has three separate and distinct criminal justice systems: England & Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Young offenders are often dealt with by the Youth Offending Team.

In England & Wales the age of criminal responsibility is set at 10. Young offenders aged 10 to 17 (i.e. up to their eighteenth birthday) are classed as a juvenile offender. Between the ages of 18 and 21 (i.e. up to their twenty-first birthday) they are classed as young offenders. Offenders aged 21 and over are known as adult offenders.

In Scotland the age of criminal responsibility was formerly set at 8, one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility in Europe. It has since been raised to 12 by the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, which received Royal Assent on 6 August 2010.[1] [2]

In Northern Ireland it is 10.

Northern Europe

In Denmark it is 15.
In Finland it is 15.
In Iceland it is 15.
In Norway it is 15.
In Sweden it is 15.

Other countries

The age of criminal responsibility is as follows for other countries:

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/03/27140804
  2. ^ http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/criminal-justice-bill
  3. ^ Article on Polish Wikipedia

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • young offender — noun A lawbreaker aged between 10 and 21 (young offender institution an establishment, replacing the borstal, for the detention of young offenders who are given custodial sentences) • • • Main Entry: ↑young * * * young offender UK US noun… …   Useful english dictionary

  • young offender — ► NOUN Law ▪ (in the UK) a criminal between 14 and 17 years of age …   English terms dictionary

  • young offender — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms young offender : singular young offender plural young offenders British someone who has committed a crime but is not old enough to be treated as an adult by the law courts …   English dictionary

  • young offender institution — [young offender institution] noun a type of prison in Britain for young people who have committed crimes. Young offender institutions contain people aged 15–17 who have been found guilty in ↑youth courts and people aged 18–20 who have been found… …   Useful english dictionary

  • young offender institution — a place of detention for persons under 21 years of age. The idea is to keep the younger offender away from the older and more experienced criminals in the adult prisons that would otherwise become academies of crime . Collins dictionary of law. W …   Law dictionary

  • young offender — young of fender n a criminal in Britain who is not an adult according to the law …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • young offender institution — n a type of prison in Britain for young people who have committed crimes. Young offender institutions contain people aged 15–17 who have been found guilty in youth courts and people aged 18–20 who have been found guilty in ordinary courts for… …   Universalium

  • young offender — noun Law (in the UK) a criminal from 14 to 17 years of age …   English new terms dictionary

  • young offender — noun (C) a criminal in Britain who is not an adult according to the law …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • Her Majesty's Young Offender Institution — (or HMYOI) is a type of British prison intended for offenders aged between 18 and 21. There are as of 2005 14 dedicated institutions: In 2007 young offender institutions will be abolished with those over 18 sent to adult prisons.* HMP Ashfield *… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”