A prison sentence for 12-17 year olds which can be for a period between 4 months and 2 years.
Children aged 12 – 14 can only receive a DTO if they are considered a persistent offender.
For the first half of the sentence children are in custody and for the second half they are supervised by the Youth Justice Service. Breach of the supervision requirements can lead to being sent back to custody for up to 3 months.