Having a youngster who broke the law at a certain point is most certainly a challenge for a parent who needs to solicit legal support and be aware of the fact that the criminal responsibility starts at the age of 10 in UK. Depending on the severity of the crime, the child can be sent to special detention facilities or can be punished through all sorts of penalties like rehabilitation orders or fines for which the parents need to pay.
Youngsters and the breach of laws in UK
If the criminal responsibility starts at the age of 10, this means that the parents are entirely responsible for the kids’ actions and more than that they can be taken into custody and can deal with the UK courts of law. Young criminals in Great Britain are mostly detained for minor offences like shoplifting, attempting to burglary, but there are also cases in which they are accused of sexual violence with other minors, attempting to murder or causing grievous bodily harm. Even if the criminal age is 10, there are cases in which the minors are under 10 and committed varied offences.
Cautions for minors in UK
The Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 stipulates that the police can issue youth cautions that are meant to change the child’s inappropriate behavior in the society. The police can handle the youth cautions once evidence in the case is established and if the youngster admitted the unfitting conduct and the offences committed. Without a doubt, the parents should consider the legal advice in such cases, as a lawyer can handle properly the youth cautions for a positive result of the case.
What is a rehabilitation order in UK?
Instead of detention to a specific facility in UK, young criminals can receive rehabilitation orders which might prolong for approximately three years. Such rehabilitation orders involved particular programmes meant to rehabilitate the youngsters from an educational point of view. Also, they can get drug treatments under the complete supervision of the officers in charge of young offenders who have troubles with the law.
Sentences for young criminals in UK
The verdicts for young criminals in UK are different for the ones imposed for adult offenders and will depend mostly on the gravity of the crimes. The youth courts in UK can decide on indeterminate sentences that come with no release date from prison or can issue a determinate sentence which involves a specific date when the youngster gets out of prison. Usually, the minimum amount of imprisonment issued in the court of law is the time of detention an individual under 18 years of age can receive, with the possibility of obtaining parole with the help of a legal advisor.