Does anyone have experience of a teenager accused of a serious crime?

Greensleeves · 2022-07-20T10:11:20+00:00

I have some questions, I'd be really grateful for any insights people could give me. This young person (not one of my children, thankfully, but close) has been remanded in custody (I won't say what crime exactly, but it's serious). They're pleading not guilty, so there'll be a trial, and we've been told it will be Crown court, not the youth court - is that unusual? Can it be challenged? I won't be visiting the person myself (not actually a relative) but the family are understandably very nervous - what can they expect? Will they be searched? Are they allowed to hug the prisoner, and can they take in food/toiletries? Legal stuff - there's a wealthy grandparent who will be footing the bill for a defence lawyer, as I understand it. How much input will the parents be allowed, will the lawyers meet with the youth without the parents present, or with the parents without the youth present? Can the family challenge the person's decision to plead not guilty, or is it completely up to the accused? They're 15 [sad] Will the prison (it's a YOI) keep in touch with the parents if anything goes wrong while the person is in there? They're vulnerable and the parents are pretty terrified. Sorry for the barrage of questions, everyone is a bit blindsided and nobody has any experience of all this. I will be googling and reading all the gov.uk stuff as well, but I'd be grateful for any input from MNers with experience.

Original poster

Greensleeves · 20/07/2022 11:57

bump

OP posts:

MeanMrMustardSeed · 20/07/2022 12:00

Sorry to hear about this. If you haven’t already, it might be worth posting in legal too as MN has some great legal people who might have an insight too.

Original poster

Greensleeves · 20/07/2022 12:29

Thank you

OP posts:

Lunadreamer · 20/07/2022 12:33

If the person is 15 then they should have had an appropriate adult (usually parent) when they were interviewed and charged.

Original poster

Greensleeves · 20/07/2022 12:35

Lunadreamer · 20/07/2022 12:33

If the person is 15 then they should have had an appropriate adult (usually parent) when they were interviewed and charged.

Yes, they definitely did have an appropriate adult with them at all times during that process.

OP posts:

EL8888 · 20/07/2022 12:39

If it’s crown court, then it’s crown court. Its not a debate or discussion.

givemushypeasachance · 20/07/2022 12:51

The family may be able to get some advice via here: yjlc.uk/advice-line/advice-children-young-people-and-their-families

Jolinar · 20/07/2022 13:12

Crown court Vs youth court is usually dependent on the seriousness of the offence. It's got to be quite serious to go to crown.

purplecorkheart · 20/07/2022 13:19

I would imagine that the visiting rules will vary depending on where they are being held. Might be worth checking online to see the rules.

SelfIdentifiedRightsHoarder · 20/07/2022 13:38

Crown Court is for more serious (and generally violent) offences. There is a maximum sentence that youth courts can give, so if the minimum sentence for the offence that has been committed is higher than what a youth court can issue, it has to be tried in the Crown Court, and no, you cannot change where it is heard.

I used to work in a YOI, and yes visitors were searched upon arrival, except for sentence planning meetings. Yes they are allowed to hug the young people. They usually are not allowed to physically bring anything to the prison with them except small change for vending machine, but they can post things in a parcel which will be vetted by security before being passed along. Different YOIs have different rules about what can be brought in, and what needs to be purchased through prison canteen.

It's completely up to the young person whether or not they have their parents there with lawyers. Generally speaking, when they are on remand the meetings with lawyers will be just them privately. No, the family cannot challenge the young persons plea. The lawyer can advise them of the best option for them, based on the evidence that the prosecution has. But ultimately it is the decision of the offender what they plea.

At the YOI, there will be a case worker assigned to the young person. Parents, social worker, YOT worker etc will be invited in for sentence planning meetings to discuss general behaviour concerns, education, health etc. They are every 3 months on remand, and every 6 months once sentenced. If there are any big incidents, they they would contact the parents to let them know. Parents can provide the young person with money to buy phone calls, and can wrote letters. Visits are normally twice a week.

Hope this helps! It's been two years since I last worked in a YOI so some things could have changed since Covid.

Original poster

Greensleeves · 20/07/2022 13:41

SelfIdentifiedRightsHoarder · 20/07/2022 13:38

Crown Court is for more serious (and generally violent) offences. There is a maximum sentence that youth courts can give, so if the minimum sentence for the offence that has been committed is higher than what a youth court can issue, it has to be tried in the Crown Court, and no, you cannot change where it is heard.

I used to work in a YOI, and yes visitors were searched upon arrival, except for sentence planning meetings. Yes they are allowed to hug the young people. They usually are not allowed to physically bring anything to the prison with them except small change for vending machine, but they can post things in a parcel which will be vetted by security before being passed along. Different YOIs have different rules about what can be brought in, and what needs to be purchased through prison canteen.

It's completely up to the young person whether or not they have their parents there with lawyers. Generally speaking, when they are on remand the meetings with lawyers will be just them privately. No, the family cannot challenge the young persons plea. The lawyer can advise them of the best option for them, based on the evidence that the prosecution has. But ultimately it is the decision of the offender what they plea.

At the YOI, there will be a case worker assigned to the young person. Parents, social worker, YOT worker etc will be invited in for sentence planning meetings to discuss general behaviour concerns, education, health etc. They are every 3 months on remand, and every 6 months once sentenced. If there are any big incidents, they they would contact the parents to let them know. Parents can provide the young person with money to buy phone calls, and can wrote letters. Visits are normally twice a week.

Hope this helps! It's been two years since I last worked in a YOI so some things could have changed since Covid.

Thank you so much, that's answered a lot of my questions.

OP posts:

SelfIdentifiedRightsHoarder · 20/07/2022 13:59

No problem at all. Im sorry for all involved, it's a very worrying and difficult time. If it is any comfort, there is a lot of support for young people in YOIs as long as they are willing to accept it. And in my experience it's rare for them to have an involved, caring family, but when they do, it can lead to a real positive turning point in the young person's life. Wish you all the best!