An introduction and general outline addresses the origins of the youth court, features of the youth court, definitions and age limits, key facts about youth crime, and the youth justice process. The second chapter discusses youth justice practitioners, which includes the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, solicitors, local authority social services departments, the probation service, offender referral bureaus, voluntary agencies, and members and officials of the youth court. The primary theme of the first two chapters is the need to adopt a special response to juvenile offending and for the relevant youth justice agencies and practitioners to work together to deliver this special response. Chapter 3 considers diversion and cautioning responses for juvenile offenders. The youth court replaced the juvenile court and came into being when the main provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 were implemented in October 1992. It operates through a youth court panel under the general auspices of the local magistrates' court. One chapter addresses the work of the youth court panel. Other chapters focus on the youth court's jurisdiction; procedures, information, and evidence; remands and bail; and the sentence of the youth court. Charts presented pertain to the youth court sentencing framework, procedures affected by age, summary of primary disposals according to age, structured decisionmaking in the youth court, and sentences available in the youth court. Subject index