ABSTRACT
Youth courts try children and young persons. A child is a person aged up to 14. Young persons are those from 14 to 18 years of age. The Criminal Justice Act 1991, in ss 58 and 60, extended the jurisdiction of the youth court to those aged up to 18 years of age. Those aged over 18 are adult and are tried in the magistrates’ court or the Crown Court, as appropriate. By s 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1982, imprisonment is not available for those aged under 21.
