Young Offending

Age of Criminal Responsibility

The age of criminal responsibility in Northern Ireland is 10 years old, which means that from 10 onwards, a young person can be charged with criminal offences and brought before a court.

Upper Age Limit

For criminal justice purposes, a young person is regarded as an adult when they reach the age of 17. However, from September 2005, the upper age limit will increase to 18, meaning that all those under the age of 18 accused of criminal activity are sent to youth courts.

Legal Rights

These include the right to:

• have an appropriate adult present during questioning by the police;
• request that your solicitor be present;
• get a solicitor to represent you;
• have your relative/whoever cares for you informed about your arrest;
• have the charges explained to you in a way which you understand;
• an interpreter;
• obtain legal aid.

For scheduled offences some special rules apply which your solicitor can explain.

For further information on a young person’s rights in relation to criminal / youth justice issues, click here.

Police Investigation

The PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) have primary responsibility for investigating crimes committed within Northern Ireland. Much of the law setting out police powers and duties when investigating crime is contained in the Police and Criminal Evidence (NI) Order 1989. This is more commonly known as PACE legislation and covers such issues as police power to arrest, access to an appropriate adult, right to fingerprint or take DNA samples, etc. For further information, click here.

There are many different reasons why young people get involved in crime, and the Police Service works in partnership with a number of Agencies (eg; Probation Service; Education Welfare; Social Services; Youth Justice Agency) to help those who do. It is important to emphasise that the majority of young people who come to the attention of the police will be dealt with through a diversionary approach and only a small number go on to appear in court. For young people who admit their offence the Police Service has what’s called a Youth Diversion Scheme (YDS) which has been designed specifically for young people under 17 who come into contact with the law.