A procedure where the youth or adult magistrates’ court can send a defendant to be sentenced by a Crown Court. The Crown Court has greater sentencing powers.
The youth court has the power to commit (send) a child to the crown court to be sentenced even after a trial. The youth court only has this power when a child is charged with a serious offence (a grave crime) and they decide the child should receive a longer term custodial sentence of more than 2 years.1
The youth court can sentence a child to a maximum 24 month detention and training order. The crown court can sentence children who are convicted of grave crimes to section 91 longer term detention.2
- 1. The power to commit for sentence was introduced in 2015. Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 s3B was amended by Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 s53 and is in force for all grave crime offences where the child first appeared in court for the offence after 13 April 2015. Read our legal update on – the youth court’s new power to commit to Crown Court for sentence.
- 2. Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 s91