Of those passing through the youth court, 42.8 percent were 17 years of age, 24.4 percent were 16 years of age, and 15.7 percent were 15 years of age; juveniles aged 16 and 17 years comprised 67.2 percent of the cases. Custodial sentencing increased compared to previous year figures for juvenile courts. In the 16- and 17-year age group, 17-year-olds received 90 percent of probation orders and 51 percent of supervision orders. Only 1 percent of sentences were combination orders. Absolute and conditional discharges were the most frequently used sentences. The unit fine was imposed on young people in 13.5 percent of cases; in 2 percent of cases, the unit fine was imposed on parents. A higher proportion of prosecuted offenders came from ethnic minority backgrounds than in the general population. Females constituted 10 percent of offenders and received 3.2 percent of custodial sentences imposed. An appendix contains a questionnaire for monitoring the Criminal Justice Act in the youth court. 9 footnotes and 9 tables