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Criminal Matters

The Children's Court deals with young people between the ages of 10 and 18 years. When they have been charged with a criminal offence they come under the Young Offenders Act 1994.

Even if they have turned 18, they will appear in the Children's Court if a crime was commited before they were 18. There are three ways they can be brought before the Childrens Court:

They might be arrested by the police and kept in a detention centre until they bring them to court. If they are 18 years old they may be kept in a remand centre.
They can be arrested, charged with a crime and then released on bail at the police station by the police. Before being released, they have to sign papers promising to go to court on a certain day.
They might be served with a Notice to Attend Court by a police officer. This Notice shows the date and time that they must go to court. A copy of the Notice should also be given to an adult who looks after the young person, such as mum or dad or a grandparent.