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If you have to appear in court

If you are charged with a crime and have to go to court, your parents will get a 'summons'.

This is a formal document, which gives the date and time that you must be there. You must turn up at court when you are told to. If you don’t, you will get into serious trouble and the police will be sent to come and find you.

If you can’t make it for any reason you, or someone you know, must tell the court as soon as possible.

• Find your local youth court Opens new window

If you are in Scotland or Northern Ireland

The court systems for young people are different in Scotland and Northern Ireland. For more information, follow the links below.

• Information on the Children's Hearing system in Scotland Opens new window

• Information on going to court for young people in Northern Ireland Opens new window

Before you go to court

If you have to wait for your court appearance the police will have either:

• let you go home on 'bail'
• kept you in custody

• Bail and remand for young people

Deciding whether to admit or deny the offence

You’ll need to decide whether or not you will admit doing what you’ve been accused of. This is called a ‘plea’. In youth courts, your plea is either to ‘deny’ or ‘admit’ the crime.

You or your parents may want to get advice from a lawyer before you decide.

• Find a legal adviser Opens new window

Youth court hearings – what happens

A youth court is less formal than an adult magistrates' court or a Crown Court. Members of the public aren’t allowed in to the court room.

When you arrive at court you must be with a parent or guardian and your defence lawyer (if you have one). Someone from the local youth offending team will also be with you.

A court usher will call you into the courtroom at the time of your case. The court’s legal adviser will read out the offence you’ve been charged with. You will then be asked if you wish to admit or deny the charge – this is your ‘plea’.

Usually three magistrates will hear you case, but sometimes a district judge will do this instead.

The magistrates or judge will:

• listen to all the evidence
• decide whether you are guilty or not guilty (there is no jury)
• if you are guilty, decide what sentence to give you

For serious crimes, the youth court may decide that the case has to go to the Crown Court. If this happens, a new date will be set for your case. In the meantime you will be put on ‘remand’, and either allowed to go home (on ‘bail’) or kept in custody.

• Bail and remand for young people

• Youth offending teams: what they are

• 'You have to go to court' information leaflet Opens new window

• Crown Court - what it does (crime and justice section)

If you admit the offence

If you admit that you did the crime, the court will deal with your case quickly.

The evidence against you will be read out. If the court agrees that you are guilty it will decide what sentence to give you. This decision is based on many different things.

The links below give more detail on how sentences are decided, and what the sentences are.

• How sentences for young people are decided

• Community sentences for young people

• Custodial sentences for young people

If you deny the offence

The court will ask for evidence about what happened. The prosecution lawyer - the person that is trying to prove that you did the crime - presents the evidence.

Some witnesses may be called to tell the court what you did, and the prosecution lawyer will ask them questions. Your defence lawyer will then ask questions to check the witnesses are sure of their facts.

After this, your defence lawyer will call any witnesses for you. You also might have to answer questions from your lawyer, the magistrates or judges, and the prosecution lawyer.

When they have listened to all the evidence from both sides the magistrates or judges will decide if you are guilty or not guilty.

Sometimes your case will be postponed so that the prosecution lawyer and your defence lawyer can gather evidence and witnesses. If this happens you will be put ‘on remand’. This could mean you can go home on bail, or be kept in custody.

• Bail and remand for young people

If you are found not guilty

If the court decides decide you are not guilty you will be free to go. This is sometimes called being ‘acquitted’.

If you are found guilty

If you are found guilty the court will need to decide what kind of sentence to give.

You can either be given a community sentence, or a sentence you will serve in custody.

The type of sentence you get depends on many different things. The links below give more detail about how a court decides what sentence to give, and what the sentences are.

• How sentences for young people are decided

• Custodial sentences for young people

• Community sentences for young people

More useful links

• Find your local youth court Opens new window

• Information on the Children's Hearing system in Scotland Opens new window

• Information on going to court for young people in Northern Ireland Opens new window