Programmes for young offenders

Staffordshire Youth Offending Services offers many services to Parents/Carers and Young People to support them in often very difficult times.

Contents

Restorative justice and reparation

Making Things Right After a Crime

When a young person breaks the law, they may be asked to take part in restorative justice or do reparation work. This helps them understand what they did wrong and make things better.

What is restorative justice?

Restorative justice means:

  • Talking to the person who was hurt by the crime (if they want to)
  • Saying sorry and explaining why the crime happened
  • Learning how the crime affected others

This can happen in person, by letter, or through other safe ways. It helps young people understand the harm they caused and how to make better choices.

What is reparation?

Reparation means doing something to make up for the harm caused. A court can give a Reparation Order, which lasts for 3 months.

Young people might:

  • Write a letter to the victim
  • Meet the victim to say sorry
  • Do work to help the victim or the community
  • Go to sessions to learn about how crime affects people

What are the rules?

Young people must:

  • Go to all meetings and sessions
  • Do the work the court says
  • Tell their officer if they move house
  • Let their officer visit them at home

What if they don’t follow the rules?

If they miss sessions or don’t do the work:

  • They’ll be asked why
  • If the reason isn’t good enough, they’ll get a warning
  • If it happens again, they may go back to court and get a tougher sentence

What can parents or carers do?

Parents and carers should:

  • Support their child through the order
  • Talk to them about the work they’re doing
  • Contact the youth offending officer if they need help or have questions

The Witness Charter

The Witness Charter is a set of 34 standards which set out the level of service that witnesses can expect to receive at every stage of the criminal justice process. It covers the moment they report a crime or incident through to giving evidence at court and post-trial support.

The charter provides applies to all who provide services to witnesses in criminal proceedings, including:

  • The police
  • Witness Care Units
  • The Crown Prosecution Service
  • Her Majesty's Courts Service
  • The Witness Service
  • Criminal defence lawyers

It is non-statutory, but it builds on the introduction of other policies such as:

  • The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime
     
  • Witness care units under the 'No Witness, No Justice' project.