Reprimands and Final Warnings
If a young person is arrested for a minor offence and subsequently accepts responsibility, and this is the first occasion they have committed a criminal offence, then they are likely to be given a Reprimand or a Final Warning.
Reprimands and Final Warnings can only be give to those aged between 10 (the criminal age of responsibility) and 17 (the point at which an individual is considered an adult).
If the young person admits their guilt in committing the offence, that person can be offered support from the Youth Offending Team (YOT). However, if they do not, then they are liable to be sent to court and prosecuted.
Reprimand
If the young person is given a Reprimand, a police officer will talk to them about the offence and will explain what will happen to them if they break the law again.
The officer will discuss the following with the young person:
- the consequences of their actions
- how it has affected the victim and their family
- how it has affected the community
- how it has impacted on the young person themselves and their own family.
The police will keep a record of the young person's or child's crime and the details will be passed on to the Youth Offending Team, who will decide if further action should be taken.
The Hackney Youth Offending Team does not have any responsibility for a child or young person who is given a Reprimand, but does write to parents to make them aware of the resources and services available to support them and the child or young person.
Final warning
Final warnings were introduced to encourage young people to take responsibility for their criminal actions and to try to prevent them from committing further offences. Final warnings have replaced the old system of police cautions for young people.
Final warnings aim to:
- prevent young people re-offending by ensuring that the young person is made aware of the consequences and impact of their criminal activity
- allow the offender to take into account the wishes and feelings of the victims of their crimes. This could involve a restorative intervention whic, for example, could include unpaid work or an apology letter
- find out the circumstances of the offence and take steps to address the reasons why the young person committed offence, which will in turn reduce the risk of similar behaviour happening again.
If a young person is given a Final Warning, the police will discuss their behaviour with them and record their crime in the same way they would for a reprimand. The child or young person is then automatically referred to the Youth Offending Team.
The team then contacts the young person and their parents within five days to arrange an appointment to plan what action can be taken voluntarily to help ensure that the child abides by the law in the future. In most cases, the Youth Offending Team will decide what type of scheme the child needs to stop them committing any more crimes. This can include activities around
- consequential thinking
- pro-criminal peers
- education
- substance mis-use
- setting positive goals.
This is the child or young person's last chance to prevent an appearance in the Youth Court, and the Youth Offending Team will support the parents and the child as much as possible to reduce the likelihood of this happening.
What parents and guardians can do to help
To help the child or young person as much as possible, parents and guardians need to:
- attend all meetings along with their child or the young person
- encourage the child or young person to fully appreciate the consequences of their offences and behaviour
- ensure that the child or young person successfully completes the scheme or activities assigned to them.
It is also imperative that parents and guardians reinforce the work carried out by the Youth Offending Team to reduce the likelihood of offending after the intervention has finished.
More information
For more information about the work of the Youth Offending Team or Reprimands and Final Warnings, please contact us using the details at the top-right corner of this page.
Page updated: 3 Feb 2011
.