Youth outcomes
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Hi, I hope you are all okay. I have really appreciated this forum and all of you.
I know every case is different, but I was just wondering if you have/ had an under 18, what they had done and the outcomes? It's so hard to even imagine what will happen next!
Hugs xx
I know every case is different, but I was just wondering if you have/ had an under 18, what they had done and the outcomes? It's so hard to even imagine what will happen next!
Hugs xx
Hi Crushed,
I'm sorry you are in this situation like all of us here.
I don't know the answer to your question, but my own person is 14 years old, we had the knock in March and it's been radio silence since, I too would be interested in the answer to your question.
From what I can gather it depends on content and amount..if the officer had a decent breakfast and if the cps have had their weekly bowl movement, the judge swings freely with the wind.
There is no written guidance for us.
Sending big hugs
I'm sorry you are in this situation like all of us here.
I don't know the answer to your question, but my own person is 14 years old, we had the knock in March and it's been radio silence since, I too would be interested in the answer to your question.
From what I can gather it depends on content and amount..if the officer had a decent breakfast and if the cps have had their weekly bowl movement, the judge swings freely with the wind.
There is no written guidance for us.
Sending big hugs
Naturalmystic,
It's bitter sarcasm from me, occasionally it comes out...I can normally contain it, but seeing the mental torture my child is going through brings it out.
I wish I knew the many things I know now. Our naivety of phones and children saftey online lured us into a false pretense of family safety, sadly one that will now have an impact for years to come.
An image seen and shared via Snapchat will haunt us, he is currently awaiting an asd assessment, has reluctance to communicate with us about it makes the unknown worse
It's bitter sarcasm from me, occasionally it comes out...I can normally contain it, but seeing the mental torture my child is going through brings it out.
I wish I knew the many things I know now. Our naivety of phones and children saftey online lured us into a false pretense of family safety, sadly one that will now have an impact for years to come.
An image seen and shared via Snapchat will haunt us, he is currently awaiting an asd assessment, has reluctance to communicate with us about it makes the unknown worse
The young person in our family was under 18 years and on the autistic spectrum. He attended youth court and received a 12 months Referral Order . He worked with the Youth Justice Service over the 12 months which included working through how and why he ended up getting into trouble online, some reparation work and volunteering in the community.
This link may be helpful to you about Referral Orders. https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/pronouncement-cards/card/referral-order/
A Youth Referral Order is classed as a conviction and will appear on an enhanced DBS. Hopefully for your son the police/CPS will decide not to prosecute or they could give him a Youth Caution. We did hope that the young person in our family would get a caution but the CPS decided it was in the public's interest to prosecute.
Thinking of you and your son.
This link may be helpful to you about Referral Orders. https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/pronouncement-cards/card/referral-order/
A Youth Referral Order is classed as a conviction and will appear on an enhanced DBS. Hopefully for your son the police/CPS will decide not to prosecute or they could give him a Youth Caution. We did hope that the young person in our family would get a caution but the CPS decided it was in the public's interest to prosecute.
Thinking of you and your son.
Thank you all.
Alison20 what was your sons offence? X
Alison20 what was your sons offence? X
Alison20 thank you for the link too, I just had a look, did you have to pay a fine also?
Hi Crushed
Possession of IIOC 's (catergories A-C)
distribution of 1 Cat C image
The young person did have to pay a fine, I think it was around £100 (based on their savings)
I am not sure how much this information will help, as no two cases are treated the same at all.
Possession of IIOC 's (catergories A-C)
distribution of 1 Cat C image
The young person did have to pay a fine, I think it was around £100 (based on their savings)
I am not sure how much this information will help, as no two cases are treated the same at all.
Thank you.
I'm not sure how they decide if it goes to court or not? As I've seen ones that don't go to court and then similar ones that do.
I'm not sure how they decide if it goes to court or not? As I've seen ones that don't go to court and then similar ones that do.
Hi Crushed
Exactly, it appears to be a lottery whether the young person goes to court or not! As hard as it may seem, try not to worry too much about it, as you have no control over what the police /cps decide. It is best, if you can, to focus on the things you can control like is your son receiving any support or help? Are you being supported by the helpline?
If it does go to court please remember Youth Court and the Youth Justice System follow the principle child first, offender second. They want to help the young person get back on track with their life and help them not to re-offend.
I hope this helps you in some way.
Exactly, it appears to be a lottery whether the young person goes to court or not! As hard as it may seem, try not to worry too much about it, as you have no control over what the police /cps decide. It is best, if you can, to focus on the things you can control like is your son receiving any support or help? Are you being supported by the helpline?
If it does go to court please remember Youth Court and the Youth Justice System follow the principle child first, offender second. They want to help the young person get back on track with their life and help them not to re-offend.
I hope this helps you in some way.
Alison thank you so much, very wise words.
He is going to do the inform course and has also started with a stopso therapist. He really wants help, so that is a big positive.
It is also nice to hear that the youth system will want to help him too.
Thank you again xx
He is going to do the inform course and has also started with a stopso therapist. He really wants help, so that is a big positive.
It is also nice to hear that the youth system will want to help him too.
Thank you again xx
My son who is 16 recently has gotten into this situation, how did you guys cope during this time and what to expect?
Hello Katie
I am sorry that you and your son are in this situation, but you have come to the right place for support.
How are you both doing? Have you spoken to the helpline yet? If not, it is definitely worth considering as they can support you and your son through this journey. As a family we found them a huge support and the young person in our family did the young person inform course which was very beneficial for him.
If you can, please remember to try and take time for yourself and for your wellbeing- whatever works for you. If you feel you need professional support you could consider visiting your GP to see how they can support you.
I am thinking of you and your son. x
I am sorry that you and your son are in this situation, but you have come to the right place for support.
How are you both doing? Have you spoken to the helpline yet? If not, it is definitely worth considering as they can support you and your son through this journey. As a family we found them a huge support and the young person in our family did the young person inform course which was very beneficial for him.
If you can, please remember to try and take time for yourself and for your wellbeing- whatever works for you. If you feel you need professional support you could consider visiting your GP to see how they can support you.
I am thinking of you and your son. x
Hi Allison, I've talked to the helpline but it dosent seem to help me the stress is too much, I'm just wondering what possible outcomes their are for my son, I don't want it to drag to 18 and then they will treat him as an adult, what are likely outcomes if he is treated as a youth though? Their are alot of images but majority same age and a few which aren't less (20) I was wondering if a caution is possible?
Hi Katie
There is no way in knowing what the outcome will be, as no two cases are exactly the same. I really hope that your son does receive a caution or no further action, but it really does depend on what the police find and the decision the police/CPS make as to whether to charge or not.
Its really important for this to be finailised before your son reaches 18 years, so that he is fairly treated as a youth. The young person in our family waited just over a year from the 'knock' to attending court . I would regularly contact OIC to remind them the young person was soon to be 18 and could that be taken into account when looking at what cases they were working on. I don't know if this helped but he did attend court literally within days of his 18th birthday.
It could be worth your while looking at the 'Just for Kids Law' website. They also have a helpline About us | Just For Kids Law.
I have just checked their website and it appears the helpline is no longer available (we used it in the past, but that was around 5 years ago) . However, they do have a referral system if you live in London or the surrounding area.
As you found the helpline too stressful at this moment in time, are you receiving any help from anyone else ?
Thinking of you.
There is no way in knowing what the outcome will be, as no two cases are exactly the same. I really hope that your son does receive a caution or no further action, but it really does depend on what the police find and the decision the police/CPS make as to whether to charge or not.
Its really important for this to be finailised before your son reaches 18 years, so that he is fairly treated as a youth. The young person in our family waited just over a year from the 'knock' to attending court . I would regularly contact OIC to remind them the young person was soon to be 18 and could that be taken into account when looking at what cases they were working on. I don't know if this helped but he did attend court literally within days of his 18th birthday.
It could be worth your while looking at the 'Just for Kids Law' website. They also have a helpline About us | Just For Kids Law.
I have just checked their website and it appears the helpline is no longer available (we used it in the past, but that was around 5 years ago) . However, they do have a referral system if you live in London or the surrounding area.
As you found the helpline too stressful at this moment in time, are you receiving any help from anyone else ?
Thinking of you.
Yeah I really hope so too, he turns 17 in April so I hope by next year April it will be over the OIC said by March their should be a update so I hope that's a good sign? I've tried to not stress and not really tell anyone to be honest, I was wondering if caught does happen how long is the process from some being charged to youth court?
Hi Katie
From being charged to attending youth court was about 3/4 weeks, so pretty quick.
I completely understand you not telling anyone about this. To be honest I was completely the same and to this day I have not shared this with any friends. It is just a heavy load to carry on your own, but can be done if that is right for you.
If you can, try and take one day at a time.
I really hope you get some good news in March that your son does not have to wait too long for an outcome. It really is not good for young people to have long waits placed on them, it can take a terrible toll on their mental health and wellbeing. How is your son doing?
Remember to look after yourself and take care.
From being charged to attending youth court was about 3/4 weeks, so pretty quick.
I completely understand you not telling anyone about this. To be honest I was completely the same and to this day I have not shared this with any friends. It is just a heavy load to carry on your own, but can be done if that is right for you.
If you can, try and take one day at a time.
I really hope you get some good news in March that your son does not have to wait too long for an outcome. It really is not good for young people to have long waits placed on them, it can take a terrible toll on their mental health and wellbeing. How is your son doing?
Remember to look after yourself and take care.
He's been ok trying to cope but it's just the uncertainty Becuase he cannot remeber himself what was exactly on the devices and is worried but trying to live as normal, just really hoping it is all before he's 18 that's the main thing. This is really affecting his mental health, the system for these offences need to be done differently for youths! We have dealt with the police before for other offences but it ended with nfa after over a year, it was a investigation with over 15 people! OIC said it won't take as long as that case so I just hope it's the same here. I have been having a look at the law and is caution possible even with lots of cat a present? I only could find information on cautions for adults
Hello Katie
I think it will really depend on what the police find on his devices. Sadly, it is a waiting game.
It is very likely that after they have checked devices your son will be asked to attend a voluntary interview. As he is under 18, he should have an appropriate adult with him in the interview (this can be you) and its very important that he has a solicitor present too.
If you are worried about your son mental wellbeing it maybe useful for you to look at 'Young Minds' website. They also have a helpline for parents who are worried about their child's mental wellbeing.
I hope this helps in some way.
I think it will really depend on what the police find on his devices. Sadly, it is a waiting game.
It is very likely that after they have checked devices your son will be asked to attend a voluntary interview. As he is under 18, he should have an appropriate adult with him in the interview (this can be you) and its very important that he has a solicitor present too.
If you are worried about your son mental wellbeing it maybe useful for you to look at 'Young Minds' website. They also have a helpline for parents who are worried about their child's mental wellbeing.
I hope this helps in some way.
Hi Katie,
Sorry to hear that you are in this situation.
This was my post originally and I remember being in the same position and not knowing what was going to happen or if it would be completed before my son was 18 was a huge stress for us.
My son was 15 when we got the knock, it was all done and dusted in under 18m, felt like forever at the time.
My son had quite a lot of images and majority was within same age bracket. He cooperated with interview and we got a solicitor under legal aid who was fantastic.
He ended up getting a community resolution order, which is an out of court disposal. So no criminal record and he had to just finish some counselling/ preventative work with 'stop it now' that was the only condition. The did say the police could disclose it on an enhanced DBS if they thought it to be relevant. But as he was a child himself, the images were same age range and the outcome was not a charge then it shouldn't affect too much even if it was added onto additional information of DBS.
Hope this helps, I was desperate to hear real life outcomes for under 18s at the beginning. Feel free to ask me any questions or message me xx
Sorry to hear that you are in this situation.
This was my post originally and I remember being in the same position and not knowing what was going to happen or if it would be completed before my son was 18 was a huge stress for us.
My son was 15 when we got the knock, it was all done and dusted in under 18m, felt like forever at the time.
My son had quite a lot of images and majority was within same age bracket. He cooperated with interview and we got a solicitor under legal aid who was fantastic.
He ended up getting a community resolution order, which is an out of court disposal. So no criminal record and he had to just finish some counselling/ preventative work with 'stop it now' that was the only condition. The did say the police could disclose it on an enhanced DBS if they thought it to be relevant. But as he was a child himself, the images were same age range and the outcome was not a charge then it shouldn't affect too much even if it was added onto additional information of DBS.
Hope this helps, I was desperate to hear real life outcomes for under 18s at the beginning. Feel free to ask me any questions or message me xx
Thank you for the information, I dropped you a message x
I was also wondering how does it work for them to decide if a out of court resolution is possible, or if it has to go to court, is their a certain amount of images or category?
It is random, Katie. No set guidelines to go by, and it seems to variy with every case, and county.
There are guidelines, known as the gravity matrix.
https://www.npcc.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/publications/publications-log/criminal-justice/2023/child-gravity-matrix-v2.2---september-2023.pdf
But that does not prevent police from having discretion about how to proceed in each case.
https://www.olliers.com/news/indecent-images-and-youths-caution/
https://www.npcc.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/publications/publications-log/criminal-justice/2023/child-gravity-matrix-v2.2---september-2023.pdf
But that does not prevent police from having discretion about how to proceed in each case.
https://www.olliers.com/news/indecent-images-and-youths-caution/
Yeah I find it very weird I'm seeing a variety of outcomes, does the OIC decide or is it CPS that decides if an out of court disposal should be done?
Initial decision would be made by the police but they are encouraged to discuss it with the Youth Justice Service first. The higher the score on the gravity matrix, the more likely it is to go to the CPS.
have you ever heard of a youth getting cusotdy in these sort of cases, that's a worry for me too
Custody would be extremely rare for a youth, first offence and none contact offence I believe.
The OIC told us that he spoke to the youth offending team after my sons interview. They decided that to offer an out of court disposal due to the following reasons from what he said:
- My son had already engaged with 'stop it now' and done the youth course and 'stop so' for therapy, this went to his advantage as the youth offending team did not feel any more could be gained from their support (which would have been part of a referral order)
- My son engaged in interview and was honest and open. The OIC said this was to his credit and they said they could see how he had gotten into this situation, his story was consistent. There were elements of grooming, his age was young (13) when the online behaviour commended and the images were mainly in his age category.
- They said they do not like to charge youths and want to help them.
- They also took into account that he may have been abused, this came out the same year, allegations from his brothers about a family member (what a year!!)
Hope this helps xx
The OIC told us that he spoke to the youth offending team after my sons interview. They decided that to offer an out of court disposal due to the following reasons from what he said:
- My son had already engaged with 'stop it now' and done the youth course and 'stop so' for therapy, this went to his advantage as the youth offending team did not feel any more could be gained from their support (which would have been part of a referral order)
- My son engaged in interview and was honest and open. The OIC said this was to his credit and they said they could see how he had gotten into this situation, his story was consistent. There were elements of grooming, his age was young (13) when the online behaviour commended and the images were mainly in his age category.
- They said they do not like to charge youths and want to help them.
- They also took into account that he may have been abused, this came out the same year, allegations from his brothers about a family member (what a year!!)
Hope this helps xx
Regarding CPS, the police decide whether to send to CPS for charging...or deal with in another way with out of court disposal etc... x