Official Statistics

Guide to youth justice statistics (accessible version)

Updated 25 January 2024

Applies to England and Wales

1. Introduction

This document provides more detail on youth justice statistics presented in:

• the annual Youth Justice Statistics bulletin; and

• the monthly Youth Custody Report data tables and accompanying open data tables.

This is intended to be used as a guide to data sources, concepts and definitions.

The key areas covered are:

i.            An overview of the publications, detailing the frequency, timings and the revisions policy.

ii.            Details of the data sources and any associated data quality issues.

iii.           Details of the methods adopted in compiling statistics on the youth justice system, including statistical disclosure, classifications and symbols and conventions.

iv.          Links to other statistical resources.

v.           A glossary and explanation of the main terms used to describe the youth justice system.

vi.          An explanation of the variables used in the youth custody open data tables.

vii.          A list of relevant internet sites on the youth justice system.

viii.         A list of the offence classifications used by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and Youth Custody Service (YCS) for youth justice statistical outputs.

1.1 Contacts

Press enquiries should be directed to the Youth Justice Board’s Communications Team:

Email: comms@yjb.gov.uk

Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to:

Rhian Manley

Head of Statistics & Analysis

Youth Justice Board

Rhian.Manley@yjb.gov.uk

Katherine Tatlock

Head of Information

Youth Custody Service

Katherine.Tatlock@justice.gov.uk

• General information about the official statistics system of the UK is available from The Statistics Authority

• For enquiries to the YJB please email: statistics@yjb.gov.uk

• For enquiries to the YCS please email: YCSInformationTeam@justice.gov.uk

2. Overview of statistics on the youth justice system

This section describes the background to:

• The annual Youth Justice Statistics bulletin and accompanying data tables; and

• the monthly Youth Custody Report data tables,

including the timing and frequency of the publications and the revisions policy relating to the statistics published.

2.1 Background

This Guide to Youth Justice Statistics provides more details about the youth justice system statistics. It provides details of data sources, counting rules, revisions and methodologies.

2.2 Youth Justice Statistics - Timeframe and publication frequency

The Youth Justice Statistics bulletin is an annual report based on financial years where possible (years ending March). Any other time period used is referred to explicitly. However, much of the data used in the report are drawn from quarterly publications and there may be more up to date data available. The purpose of the report is to provide an overall summary of the youth justice system, allowing users to find everything in one place. All data referenced are available in the Excel supplementary tables that accompany the report or are readily available on GOV.UK (links are provided). Separate tables and maps covering Youth Justice Service (YJS) level information are also available.

2.3 Youth Custody Report - Timeframe and publication frequency

The Youth Custody Report data tables are updated monthly. In each publication, the latest month of data published are provisional and are finalised in the following Youth Custody Report. Previously the provisional data was finalised once a year in accordance with the Youth Justice Statistics publication. This change is a result of the YCS Information Development Project’s aim to provide more up to date finalised figures.

From April 2019 onwards, these figures are a monthly snapshot of the custodial population, taken on the last day of the month. These figures are produced by the Youth Custody Service, however prior to June 2018 these statistics were produced by the Youth Justice Board.

Prior to April 2019, custody population figures are a monthly snapshot of the custodial population in the secure estate for children, taken on the last Friday of the month or first Friday of the following month, depending on which is nearer to the actual month end.

2.4 Revisions policy

In accordance with Principle 2 of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, the Youth Justice Board is required to publish transparent guidance on its policy for revisions.

The three reasons specified for statistics needing to be revised are changes in sources of administrative systems or methodology, receipt of subsequent information, and errors in statistical systems and processes. Each of these points, and its specific relevance to the youth justice statistics, are addressed below:

1. Changes in sources of administrative systems/methodology

The published statistics on the youth justice system come from a variety of administrative systems. This technical document presents where there have been revisions to data owing to switches in methodology or administrative systems.

2. Receipt of subsequent information

The nature of any administrative system is that data may be received late.

For the Youth Justice Statistics publication, late data are reviewed on an annual basis. Should the review show that any late data has a major impact on the statistics then revisions will be released as part of the subsequent publication.

For the Youth Custody Report data tables, the snapshots are taken at a time to sufficiently allow late data to be submitted. However, data are further cleaned prior to the annual finalised dataset so any late data will lead to revisions in the monthly data on an annual basis.

3. Errors in statistical systems and processes

Occasionally, errors can occur in statistical processes; procedures are constantly reviewed to minimise this risk. Should a significant error be found, the publications on the website will be updated and an erratum slip published documenting the revision.

3. Data Sources, Quality and Reporting

This section outlines the different data sources used to compile the statistics presented in the monthly data tables and the annual bulletin with information on data quality, processing and how they are reported.

Most of the figures in the youth justice statistical publications have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time. Steps are taken to improve the completeness and accuracy of this information each year.

The Youth Justice Statistics is a ‘National Statistics’ publication. ‘National Statistics’ is the national standard for official statistics. The ‘National Statistics’ Quality Mark indicates that the statistics have been produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The Code of Practice requires the statistics to be produced, managed and disseminated to high professional standards. The statistics must be well explained and meet users’ needs. The ‘National Statistics’ standard has statutory backing.

The Youth Custody Report statistics are Official Statistics.

The data for the various chapters and tables come from many sources. More information on these data sources can be found below in Annex A.

3.1 Data collected by the Youth Justice Board:

Youth justice service case-level data

The term youth justice services has replaced the term Youth Offending Teams. The statutory definition of a local youth justice service is contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. In statute these are known as Youth Offending Teams. However, as services have evolved, they have become known by different names. For this reason, we now prefer to use the term Youth Justice Services (YJSs).

Some of the data in Youth Justice Statistics come from data submitted to the YJB by the 154 local youth justice services (YJSs) in England and Wales and do not come from the police or courts. As such, the data given in Youth Justice Statistics may differ from that presented in other Ministry of Justice publications.

• Between April 2009 and March 2015, the data were taken from YJB’s Youth Justice Management Information System (YJMIS) which contains both summary level and case level data extracted from each YJS’s operational case management system.

• In April 2015, the Youth Justice Application Framework (YJAF) replaced YJMIS. This system also contains summary and case level data on children cautioned or sentenced for an offence.

3.2 Data collected by the Youth Custody Service:

Youth custody population data

The youth custody population data come from administrative systems used to place children in the secure estate:

• From April 2012, the under 18 custody population was taken from YJB’s eAsset database. However, information about those aged 18 and held in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) was supplied by the Prison Service and private YOIs.

• In July 2013, when YJB withdrew female placement in YOIs, data on 18-year-old females began to be sourced from eAsset.

• In April 2016, data on 18-year-old males was brought in line with the information on young females, to be sourced from the YJB’s eAsset system.

• In September 2017, eAsset was replaced by YJAF as the booking system for children in youth custody and the source of youth custody data.

*  In April 2018 the responsibility for collecting these data moved from the YJB to the YCS.

The quality of the information recorded on these administrative databases is generally assumed to be relatively high as they are the operational systems used to place children in custody. A number of key fields are used for which completion is mandatory when booking a child into custody. However, sources are subject to possible errors when entering data as well as changes over time due to being operational databases that are regularly updated.

Different checks on the data help improve and maintain the quality. Ongoing improvements to data entry validation reduce the risk of incorrect recording. Identification of duplicate records improves the reliability of the stored information. Visual checks on single variables as well as different variable groupings are carried out to ensure only permitted combinations result. Data trends are also examined to assist with quality assuring the data. Different data sources are used to ensure the figures are the most appropriate for the particular context.

The length of time spent in custody is now recorded by legal basis rather than the length of time in total. Data under this new methodology is only available from the year ending March 2019 and is not comparable with previous publications on length of time spent in youth custody by custodial episode.

Behaviour management and Use of Force

“Behaviour management” refers to the policies and processes used in the youth secure estate to manage challenging and difficult behaviour by children and young adults.

All behaviour management and Use of Force data has been taken from the Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate publication. Please refer to the accompanying Guide to Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate for details of data sources and quality and statistical notes.

3.3 Youth Justice Statistics: Chapter descriptions, data sources, time periods and counting rules

Further details of these data sources can be found in Annex A below, or by following the links to other publications and user guides. The Glossary in this guide provides more details on the terms used.

Chapter 1: Gateway to the youth justice system

Description

This chapter provides data on the number of stop and searches, trends in arrests of children aged 10 to 17 and Youth Cautions given to children aged 10 to 17.

Source

Annual data collection from police forces         

Time period covered

Year ending March 2021 to 2023 (Stop and searches)

Years ending March 2016 to 2023 (Arrests by offence group)

Year ending March 2023 (Arrests by offence group and sex and arrests by offence group and ethnicity)

Year ending March 2023 (Arrests by police force area and region by sex and age group)

Years ending March 2013 to 2023 (Arrests)

Years ending March 2013 to 2023 (Youth Cautions)

Notes

• Stop and searches data were available for children for the first time in the year ending March 2021, so there is no longer trend data.

• Notifiable offences are those offences which require the police to record an incident as a crime and report the occurrence to the Home Office.

• Ethnicity is self-identified

Chapter 2: First Time Entrants to the youth justice system

Description

The First Time Entrants to the youth justice system chapter looks at the trends in the number of children receiving their first caution or court sentence.

Source

Ministry of Justice extract of the Police National Computer

Time period covered

Years ending December 2012 to 2022

Notes

•  The MoJ changed the reporting frequency for these statistics from a quarterly to annual reporting cycle so data presented are for calendar years.

• A first time entrant to the criminal justice system is an offender residing in England and Wales at the time of the offence, who has been recorded on the Police National Computer (PNC) by an English or Welsh police force as having received their first sentence or youth caution.

• Ethnicity - is police officer identified. There is not a ‘Mixed’ ethnicity group in officer identified ethnicities, so caution should be used if comparing with data using self-identified ethnicities.

• Summary offences are usually heard only in magistrates’ courts. Indicatable offences are the most serious cases, such as murder and rape, which must be heard at the Crown Court.

• For details on how age is calculated, see Section 4.4.

 Chapter 3: Children cautioned or sentenced

Description

This chapter reports on the trends in numbers and demographic characteristics of children who received a youth caution or sentence at court.

Source

Youth Justice Application Framework (YJAF) based on YJS case management system caseload data.

Time period covered

Years ending March 2013 to March 2023

Notes

• These figures relate to the number of individual children who received a youth caution or sentence and not the number of offences or disposals.

• Youth justice services (YJSs) will also be working with children on bail and remand, community resolutions, other outcomes with YJS intervention, prevention programmes and with some children cautions and sentences from previous years, however these numbers are unknown. Therefore, the figures presented in this chapter are not a count of the total number of children with whom YJSs worked.

• Historical data was re-extracted for the years ending March 2018 to 2022 so will not match previous publications.

• In addition, YJSs do not work with all children who received youth cautions. The police deal with some children who receive cautions (without conditions) as well as some first-tier outcomes, such as fines or absolute discharges, and therefore will not be referred to a YJS.

• The figures include those who were aged under 18 on the date of first court appearance but aged 18 on date of sentence.

• Ethnicity is self-identified.

• While children are only counted once in each YJS regardless of the number of offences committed or cautions or sentences given, there will be some double counting nationally where children who received a caution or sentence in one YJS then transfer to another YJS and receive a caution or sentence in the same period.

• For details on how age is calculated, see Section 4.4.

Chapter 4: Proven offences by children

Description

Trends in numbers and types of offences, children receiving a caution or sentence and trends in sentencing of children for knife and offensive weapon offences.

Source

Youth Justice Application Framework (YJAF) (Proven offences by children)

Police National Computer (Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics)

Time period covered

Years ending March 2013 to 2023

Notes

• A proven offence is one for which a child receives a caution or sentence.

• This chapter covers all proven offences committed by children. These data include all offences for which a child is given a youth caution or sentence at court and not just the primary offence.

• The main offence groups used in this report differ from those used by the MoJ, for example the offence of common assault is classed as a summary offence by the MoJ, while here it is included under violence against the person. Burglary includes domestic and non-domestic burglary.

• Historical data was re-extracted for the years ending March 2018 to 2022 so will not match previous publications.

• Further details on ‘other’ offences can be found in the supplementary tables.

• An offence’s seriousness, or ‘gravity score’, is scored out of eight, ranging from one (least serious) up to eight (most serious).

• The offence list reflects that of the Police National Legal Database (PNLD) and is in line with other criminal justice agencies.

• Age is calculated at the time of caution or for those sentenced, at the time of the first hearing. This is because some may still be supported by the Youth Justice Service, even if they turn 18 before the sentence is passed. This count does not include a small number of offences committed by those who turn 18 before their first hearing.

• In December 2012 offences involving threatening with a knife or offensive weapon in a public place or in a school premises were introduced and included from this point on.

Chapter 5: Sentencing of children

Description

This chapter looks at trends in the number of children proceeded against at court, the time taken in days from offence to completion and sentencing occasions of children found guilty of proven offences by court type and type of offence.

Source

Court Proceedings Database

Time period covered

Years ending March 2017 to 2023 (Sentencing by ethnicity)

Year ending March 2023 (YRO requirements, Parenting Orders)

Years ending March 2013 to 2023 (All other sentencing data)

Notes

• The Ministry of Justice changed the data source for these statistics which has resulted in changes to historic data published in earlier year’s publications. Details of the changes can be found in the Technical appendix: Changes to the processing of criminal court sentencing data for Criminal Justice System Statistics Quarterly (CJSQ) publication.

• Children can be counted more than once if they are sentenced for different offences at different points in the year, so this chapter refers to sentencing occasions rather than individual children.

• Only the most serious sentence issued on each sentencing occasion is counted.

• Criminal offences are divided into three main offence groups; indictable; summary non-motoring; and summary motoring. In this chapter, summary motoring offences and summary non-motoring offences are grouped together.

• Ethnicity data does not include summary offences as many children are not required to be present when sentenced so this data is limited.

• Ethnicity data are self-identified.

• For average custodial sentence length, the whole sentence length given in court is counted and not necessarily the amount of time spent in custody and excludes life and indeterminate sentences.

• Information - about the requirements associated with Youth Rehabilitation Orders (YROs) are taken from the data provided by YJSs to the YJB’s YJAF system. Some YROs are recorded without requirement information.

• For details on how age is calculated, see Section 4.4.

Chapter 6: Use of remand for children

Description

This chapter looks at trends in the use of remand for children aged 10 to 17, characteristics of the custodial remand population and the outcomes for children following custodial remand.

Source

Youth Justice Application Framework (YJAF) (Remand episodes)

Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS), eAsset and the Youth Justice Application Framework (Custodial remand population)

Court Proceedings Database (Outcomes following a custodial remand)

Time period covered

Year ending March 2023 (Remand episodes by demographics)

Years ending March 2019 to 2023 (Remand episodes)

Years ending March 2013 to 2023 (Custodial remand population)

Years ending March 2018 to 2023 (Outcomes following custodial remand)

 Notes

• Excluding those children who failed to appear and those who were committed by magistrates for trial or sentence at the Crown Court.

• A ten year comparison is not available for remand episodes data or outcomes following a custodial remand.

• From April 2019 onwards these figures are taken on the last day of the month. Prior to April 2019 these figures were taken on the last Friday of the month or first Friday of the following month, depending on which is nearer to the actual month end.

• Further data on children and young adults (including 18-year-olds who remain in the youth secure estate) held on custodial remand are available from 2015/16 onwards in Youth Custody Data.

• For the outcomes following a custodial remand data, the Ministry of Justice changed the data source for these statistics which has resulted in changes to historic data published in earlier year’s publications. Details of the changes can be found on the Technical appendix: Changes to the processing of criminal court sentencing data for Criminal Justice System Statistics Quarterly (CJSQ) publication.

• The outcomes data following a custodial remand excludes those children who failed to appear and those who were committed by magistrates for trial or sentence at the Crown Court.

Chapter 7: Children in custody in the youth secure estate

Description

This chapter looks at the trends of the 10 to 17 custodial population and the length of time children spend in custody.

Source

Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS), eAsset and the Youth Justice Application Framework (YJAF)

Time period covered

Years ending March 2001 to 2023 (Children in youth custody)

Years ending March 2017 to 2023 (Children in youth custody by distance from home)

Years ending March 2019 to 2023 (Custodial episodes ending and time spent in youth custody)

Years ending March 2013 to 2023 (All other data on children in custody)

Notes

• Children (aged 10 to 17) in youth custody in England and Wales. To avoid disrupting their regimes, young adults aged 18 may remain in the youth secure estate if they have only a short period of their sentence left to serve.

• Data on the total youth custody population including 18-year-olds are available in the Supplementary Tables.

• For the years ending March 2020 to 2023, figures are a monthly snapshot of the custodial population, taken on the last day of the month. Prior to this, figures are a monthly snapshot of the custodial population, taken on the nearest Friday to the last day of the month.

• Only males between the ages of 15 and 17 can be placed in a YOI in the youth secure estate. Since August 2013, females are not placed in YOIs in the youth secure estate, therefore females up to the age of 18 are held in SCHs and STCs. Temporary arrangements for females to be placed in YOIs were made in the year ending March 2021 following the closure of Rainsbrook STC, however this does not affect this data set.

• A child may have multiple custodial orders simultaneously; legal basis refers to the most serious custodial order.

• Other sentences include Section 254, Section 259 and those detained under civil orders.

• The Sentencing Act 2020 introduced changes to some sentences. Very few children will have been sentenced to the new sentences in the year ending March 2021 so the original names have been kept. While the criteria for receiving them has remained broadly the same, the names have changed as follows:

• Section 250 replaced Section 91

• Section 254 replaced Section 226B

• Section 259 replaced Section 90.

• The average monthly custody population figures are averages (means) of 12 monthly snapshots of the custodial population in the secure estate for children.

• For age and sex, population is based on Office for National Statistics 2021 Census.

• Ethnicity data are self-reported.

For the 2017/18 publication onwards ‘Distance from home’ has been included.

• This shows the distance from a child’s recorded home address to the establishment in which they are placed.

• The home address is manually inputted by the Placement Support Officer based on information provided by the YJS in the child’s documentation.

• The distance is measured in miles, as the crow flies.

• Due to the level of quality assurance and data cleaning required to produce these figures, data are only available for the years ending March 2017 onwards.

• Due to data quality checks the number of children in custody with missing distance from home band data has decreased each year, and so comparisons between years must be undertaken with care.

The length of time spent in custody is now recorded by legal basis rather than the length of time in total. Data under this new methodology is only available from the year ending March 2019 and is not comparable with previous publications on length of time spent in youth custody by custodial episode.

Chapter 8: Behaviour management in the youth secure estate

Description

This chapter presents trend data on different Behaviour Management measures in the youth secure estate for children. These include use of force, self-harm, assaults and separations.

Source

NOMIS Incident Reporting System (IRS) (Assault incidents in Young Offender Institutions)

Bespoke returns submitted to the Youth Custody Service from establishments (All other data)

Time period covered

Years ending March 2015 to 2023 (Behaviour management data, excluding assaults)

Year ending March 2020 to 2023 (Assault data)

Year ending March 2020 to 2023 (Further breakdowns of separation data in SCHs and STCs only)

Year ending March 2020 to 2023 (Separation data for YOIs only)

Notes

• All behaviour management and Use of Force data has been taken from the Safety in Youth Custody statistics. Please refer to the accompanying Guide to Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate for details around data sources and quality and other statistical notes.

Chapter 9: Proven reoffending by children

Description

This chapter provides data on trends of proven reoffending for children who received a caution, received a non-custodial sentence at court or were released from custody.

Source

Ministry of Justice extract of the Police National Computer (Proven reoffending by children)

YJAF (Children released from Secure Children’s Homes and Secure Training Centres)

Prison-NOMIS (Children released from Young Offender Institutions)

Time period covered:

Aggregated cohorts for the years ending March 2012 to March 2022

Notes

• Proven reoffending by children entering the cohort between April 2021 and March 2022. The focus in this chapter is on the annual data based on the aggregate of the four quarterly offender cohorts.

• Children enter the reoffending cohort if they receive a caution, a non-custodial sentence at court or were released from custody during the cohort period.

• The annual figure is based on the aggregate of four quarterly offender cohorts. Please note, it is possible for a child to appear in the annual cohort more than once.

• Someone who entered the cohort aged 17 and reoffended aged 18 will be included in the figures.

• A proven reoffence is any offence committed in a one year follow-up period that leads to a caution or court sentence, either within the one year follow-up or within a further six months to allow the offence to be proven in court.

• The first proven offence within each disposal is treated as the start point for measuring proven reoffending. Therefore, some children will appear in more than one disposal category.

• Users should be cautious though when making any comparisons between cohorts before and after the October 2015 offender cohort period, as there was a change in data source from this month onwards.

• Data on children released from Young Offender Institutions are taken from a different source (PNOMIS) from October 2017 onwards.

• Ethnicity is police officer identified. There is not a ‘Mixed’ ethnicity group in officer identified ethnicities, so caution should be used if comparing with data using self-identified ethnicities.

Chapter 10: Criminal histories of children

Description

This chapter looks at trends in the number of previous cautions and sentences of children aged 10 to 17.

Source

Ministry of Justice extract of the Police National Computer

Time period covered

Years ending December 2012 to 2022 (Data for the year ending March 2023 is not available).

Notes

• The MoJ changed the reporting frequency for these statistics from a quarterly to annual reporting cycle so data presented are for calendar years.

• A child’s criminal history counts the number of occasions on which they previously received a caution or sentence for any offence which has been recorded on the Police National Computer (PNC), including some offences committed outside of England and Wales, irrespective of country of residence.

• Ethnicity is based on officer identified ethnicity as opposed to self-identified ethnicity. There is not a ‘Mixed’ ethnicity group in officer identified ethnicities, so caution should be used if comparing with data using self-identified ethnicities.

• This count differs from First Time Entrants (FTEs) because only those prosecuted by an English or Welsh police force and who are resident in England and Wales are included in the FTE statistics.

• Criminal offences are divided into three main offence groups; Indictable; Summary Non-Motoring; and Summary Motoring. In this chapter, Summary Motoring offences and summary Non-Motoring offences are grouped together.

• Criminal histories also differ from proven reoffending statistics which only looks at subsequent proven offending within 12 months.

• A child is counted as having a criminal history if their PNC record shows that, at the time of receiving a caution or sentence, they had previously committed one or more proven offences that resulted in a caution or sentence.

Chapter 11: Comparisons with the adult system

Description

This chapter looks at the comparisons at different stages of the Criminal Justice System between children aged 10 to 17, young adults aged 18 to 20 (where available) and adults (aged 21+).

Source              

Police Powers and Procedures statistics (Arrests)

Police National Computer (First time entrants, Reoffending, Offences involving a knife or offensive weapon)

Court Proceedings Database (People sentenced)

P-NOMIS, eAsset and YJAF (Custody population)

Time period covered

Years ending March 2013 to 2023 (Stop and searches, arrests, people sentenced, and offences involving a knife or offensive weapon)

Years ending December 2012 to 2022 (First time entrants)

Years ending March 2012 to 2022 (Reoffending)

30th June snapshot between 2013 and 2023 (Custody population)

Notes

• This chapter provides a comparison between children (10 to 17 years) and adults (18 years and over) in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England and Wales.

• Previous publications showed adult system breakdowns for 18 to 20 year olds and 21+ year olds separately where available. This year, these age groups have been grouped together to allow comparison between datasets.

• This chapter includes comparisons of arrests, First Time Entrants (FTEs), proven knife related offences, sentencing, population in custody and reoffending.

• Where different age groups have been used, these have been specified.

• Any comparisons between the age groups should be treated with caution, due to differences in the youth and adult justice systems.

4. Methodology

This section outlines methodologies used in compiling the statistics, including how they may differ from other publications where relevant. This section also includes details of statistical disclosure, classifications used and symbols and conventions.

4.1 Behaviour Management

Assault incidents in Young Offender Institutions

From the 2019/20 publication onwards, all published assault figures are based on Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) counting rules. These rules were adopted for YOIs only from 2018/19 but have now been expanded to the whole of the youth secure estate. Please refer to the accompanying Guide to Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate for further details.

4.2 Ethnicity

Classifications: Two measures of recording ethnicity are utilised throughout the Youth Justice Statistics:

1.       Officer identified ethnicity - as recorded by a police officer or a member of the administrative or clerical team and is based on visual appearance. The PNC ethnicity categories are then aggregated to 4+1 classifications: White, Black, Asian, Other and ‘Unknown’. This is the ethnicity information presented for information from the PNC (data on cautions, First Time Entrants, reoffending and criminal histories).

2.       Self-identified ethnicity - defined by the individual. Categories are based on the 18+1 ONS classifications from 2011 and aggregated into the 5+1 classification as follows: White, Black, Asian, Mixed, Other and ‘Unknown’ or ‘not recorded’. This is the ethnicity presented for information from the Home Office (data on arrests), from the YJB (characteristics of children according to YJAF and outcomes following remand) and YCS (children in custody in the secure estate and behaviour management).

The ONS introduced two further categories to the Census in 2011: ‘White – Gypsy or Irish Traveller’ and ‘Arab’; and moved ‘Chinese’ to the broader Asian category. To allow for comparability within the time series, the ‘Chinese’ category is placed alongside the Other ethnicity category, following the 2001 Census.

Percentages: When percentages of certain ethnicity categories are calculated, those children with ‘Unknown’ ethnicities have been removed. This methodology was introduced for the Youth Justice Statistics 2016/17 to bring it in line with other publications. Therefore, percentages of ethnicities from the 2016/17 publication onwards should not be compared with previous publications.

4.3 Age

The ages of children are calculated for measuring the number of children, the number of proven offences they have committed and the number of cautions and sentences. There are differences in this methodology between the data from MoJ’s PNC and the data from YJB’s YJAF:

Cautions:

• In both YJAF and the PNC, the age of those receiving a caution is calculated at the time the caution was given.

Court sentences:

• In PNC the age is calculated at the time the person is sentenced.

• In YJAF the age is calculated at the time of the first hearing. This is because these children will still be supported through the trial process by the Youth Justice Service, even if they turn 18 before the sentence is passed.

4.4 Offence Classifications

In July 2013, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) re-designed the classifications used to present police recorded crime statistics, following recommendations from the National Statistician’s review of Crime Statistics in England and Wales in June 2011. The changes to classifications were implemented in the ONS statistical bulletin Crime in England and Wales, year ending March 2013, published in July 2013, alongside a methodological note providing more detail on the changes and their impact on time-series for key measures.

No change has been made to the coverage of offences in the police recorded crime series, and most changes are presentational, with some offences moving between classifications or being separated out of existing groupings.

Information is presented in the Youth Justice Statistics on these offence group breakdowns where possible. Therefore, offence groups and classification may vary between chapters and data sources.

As part of MoJ’s additional quality assurance in the source data (Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly 2016 report), a small number of offence codes were reclassified between offence types to better reflect their legal basis. This means that figures sourced from the Courts Proceedings Database provided in Youth Justice Statistics publications from 2016/17 onwards are not comparable to previous publications.

4.5 Proven Reoffending

In October 2017, the methodology for calculating proven reoffending changed. The main changes were:

• Moving to a three-month cohort. The cohort now comprises all offenders who are released from custody, received a non-custodial sentence at court, or received a caution within a specified three month period, for all measures of reoffending, including for children. Previously, a 12-month cohort was used. Offenders are still tracked for 12 months.

• A change from calendar year to financial year, for annual figures. Previously, annual figures were based on calendar years. The annual reoffending figures are now based on a financial year. Annual figures (like those included in Youth Justice Statistics) are now formed by taking an average of the four three-month offender cohorts.

*  A change in the data source for compiling MoJ’s proven reoffending statistics: custodial discharges from YOIs are now taken from the Prison-NOMIS system for children, reflecting the availability of this more accurate data source. This change in October 2015 introduces potential variability and therefore users should be cautious when making any comparison between data pre- and post-October 2015.

More information on this change in methodology and its impact on the figures can be found in the ‘How the Measure of Reoffending has Changed and the Effect of These Changes’ summary.

This methodology was first used in the Youth Justice Statistics 2016/17 publication.

As the Youth Justice Statistics are an annual publication, the focus in the reoffending chapter of this publication (Chapter 9) is on the annual data based on the aggregate of the four quarterly offender cohorts. For both quarterly and annual aggregated data see the MoJ’s Proven reoffending statistics.

4.6 Time spent in the youth estate

The length of time spent in custody is now recorded by legal basis rather than the length of time in total. Data under this new methodology is only available in the Youth Justice Statistics for the year ending March 2021 and the data are only available from the year ending March 2019 and are not comparable with previous publications on length of time spent in youth custody by custodial episode.

4.7 Statistical Disclosure

Where appropriate, the numbers 1 to 4 have been suppressed and replaced with an asterisk (*) to minimise the risk of disclosure. To make sure that the suppressed number cannot be derived by subtraction, additional suppression of numbers 5 or higher may be necessary. Where additional suppression has been applied it is noted throughout.

Some data are not suppressed. This applies to data which are already in the public domain, through other publications, without suppression having been applied.

4.8 Symbols and conventions

The units of measurement in youth justice statistics are offenders, offences and disposals; these are given as full numbers where available. The percentages are rounded to the nearest number or one decimal place.

The following symbols have been used throughout the tables in this bulletin:

0	Nil
..	Not available or not applicable (this is stated in the individual tables)
*	Value suppressed to maintain confidentiality
(P)	Provisional data
(R)	Revised data
(E)	Estimated data

5. Links to Other Statistical Resources

Arrest statistics

Data on arrests for notifiable offences are included within the annual Police Powers and Procedures statistical release published by the Home Office.

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic disproportionality in the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales

The BAME disproportionality in the CJS MoJ report examines ethnic group representation in the Criminal Justice System from charging through proven reoffending.

Crime Outcome Statistics

This Crime Outcome Statistics report published by the Home Office bulletin presents statistics on outcomes assigned by the police to recorded crimes.

Crime Statistics

This Office for National Statistics Crime Statistics bulletin presents key statistics on crime in England and Wales taken from two different sources: The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW, previously known as the British Crime Survey), and police recorded crime.

The publication also includes statistics on the victimisation and experiences of crime from children aged 10 to 15.

Criminal Court Statistics

This quarterly Criminal Court Statistics published by the MoJ presents National Statistics on activities in magistrates’ courts and Crown Courts in England and Wales.

The bulletin gives a summary overview of the volume of cases dealt with by these courts over time, with statistics also broken down for the main types of case involved. Also published are detailed breakdowns of the headline court caseload and timeliness statistics, broken down by court or Local Justice Area.

Criminal Justice Statistics

The quarterly Criminal Justice Statistics report, published by the MoJ, presents key statistics on activity in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) for England and Wales.

The data provides users with information about proven offending and its outcomes in England and Wales. It contains statistics for adults and children on offences, out of court disposals, court disposals and offending histories (including First Time Entrants and previous disposals).

Ethnic disproportionality in remand and sentencing in the youth justice system

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) commissioned an analysis called Ethnic disproportionality in remand and sentencing in the youth justice system of case management and assessment data to measure and explain the disproportionality in remand and sentencing outcomes (including out-of-court disposals) for ethnic minority children compared to White children in England and Wales.

The research aims to understand the extent of ethnic disproportionality in outcomes and to assess how far this observed disproportionality can be explained by the demographic characteristics of children, offence-related factors or practitioner assessments of children.

Examining the educational background of young knife possession offenders

The Examining the Educational Background of Young Knife Possession Offenders report, jointly produced by Department for Education and MoJ report examines the educational background of children who had committed knife possession offences in England and Wales.

Knife and offensive weapon sentencing

The quarterly Knife and Offensive Weapons Sentencing Statistics, produced by the MoJ contain key statistics describing trends in cautioning and sentencing for offences involving the possession of a knife or offensive weapon in England and Wales.

Proven reoffending

This Proven Reoffending Statistics produced by the MoJ provides key statistics on proven reoffending in England and Wales. It gives proven reoffending figures for offenders who were released from custody, received a non-custodial sentence at court or received a caution.

Safety in the children and young people secure estate

The Safety in the children and young people secure estate statistics produced by the Youth Custody Service quarterly statistics on assault and self-harm incidents, and deaths for children and young people in the secure estate.

Understanding the educational background of young offenders

This joint Department for Education and MoJ report on Understanding the Educational Background of Young Offenders examines the educational background of children who had offended in England and Wales.

6. Glossary

This section provides definitions of terms used throughout statistics on the youth justice system, in alphabetical order.

Absolute discharge: When the court decides someone is guilty but decides not to punish them further at this time, they will be sentenced to a ‘discharge’. Discharges are given for minor offences. An ‘absolute discharge’ means that no more action will be taken.

Assaults: Unwanted physical contact between two or more individuals, excluding Use of Force or anything of a purely verbal or threatening nature. The degree of force used is immaterial (e.g. spitting, pushing or striking) and physical contact can be by any part of the body or bodily fluid, or by using any weapon or missile. To be considered an assault incident it is not necessary for there to be injury of any kind.

Average custodial sentence length: Average length of determinate (fixed length) custodial sentences given in months. This excludes indeterminate sentences (life or Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences) as the length of these sentences is not recorded.

Beds available: The number of beds available within the secure estate to place children who are remanded or sentenced to custody. This figure takes into account rooms out of use due to damage/refurbishment for Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs), Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) and any spot purchases for SCHs.

Behaviour management: Behaviour management captures the processes and policies by which establishments manage challenging and difficult behaviour amongst children and young adults in the youth secure estate.

Breaches: A breach is when a child fails to comply with the conditions of their disposal:

1.       Breach of statutory order or of conditional discharge is an offence of failing without reasonable excuse to comply with the requirements of an existing statutory order or the conditions of a discharge. The offence is only counted where the failure is proved to the satisfaction of the court and the original order is revoked and/or an additional order or other disposal is imposed.

2.       Breach of bail refers to the offence of absconding by the person released on bail (Bail Act 1976, S6), but excludes liability to arrest for absconding or breaking conditions of bail (Bail Act S7), for which children cannot be sentenced but only remanded in custody or given more restrictive bail conditions.

Caution: A caution is an out of court disposal for adults. Children can be given Youth Cautions which replaced Reprimands and Final Warnings on 8 April 2013. Returns on cautions are submitted to the Ministry of Justice electronically each month.

Charge or laying of information: This relates to when the defendant is first charged at a police station (specifically, where an individual is arrested and formally accused of a crime) or when the information is laid (specifically, where an individual receives a written summons advising that an action has begun against them, and that they are required either to appear in person, or to respond in writing, to the court regarding the alleged offence).

Children: In the context of youth justice statistical publications, the term ‘children’ refers to anyone between the ages of 10 and 17, unless stated otherwise. In publications prior to 2017/18, children were referred to as ‘young people’. In some places, the term  “children and young adults” is used where those aged over 17 may still be included (e.g. behaviour management data).

Community sentence: When a court imposes a community sentence, the child does not go to custody, but the court says there are specific things the child can, can’t or must do while serving their sentence. The magistrate or judge will decide which combination of these ‘requirements’ will most effectively punish the child for their crime, while also reducing the risk of them offending again. A child given a community sentence will be given a Youth Rehabilitation Order (see separate entry) in which one or more requirements can be imposed such as Curfew or Supervision.

Completion: When a defendant’s case is completed, and a final decision is reached in either the magistrates’ courts or the Crown Court.

Conditional bail: Conditions may be added to a bail decision in order to ensure attendance at court, prevent the child offending while on bail, address a concern that the child might interfere with witnesses or obstruct the course of justice, safeguard the child’s welfare, ensure availability for reports or to ensure they attend an appointment. The conditions might include not contacting a particular person or entering a particular area. The child may additionally be electronically tagged if it is felt necessary.

Conditional discharge: When the court decides someone is guilty but decides not to punish them further at this time, they will be sentenced to a ‘discharge’. Discharges are given for minor offences. A ‘conditional discharge’ means that the child will not be punished unless they commit another offence within a set period (no longer than three years).

Conviction: When a court finds a child guilty of a crime and gives them a formal sanction.

Criminal history: A child is counted as having a criminal history if their Police National Computer (PNC) record shows that, at the time of receiving a caution or sentence, they had previously committed one or more offences that had resulted in one of these sanctions. Because the PNC data excludes a range of summary offences the figures presented focus on the criminal histories of children cautioned or sentenced for indictable offences.

Custodial sentence: A child may be sentenced to custody when an offence is so serious that it is the only suitable punishment. A custodial sentence will also be given when the court believes the public must be protected from the child. In the case of children, their time in custody will be served in establishments separated from the adult and 18-21 population.

Detention and Training Order (DTO):Detention and Training Orders are determinate custodial sentences which can last from four months to 24 months in length. A child spends the first half of the order in custody and the second half in the community on licence. Should they breach the licence conditions or reoffend during the licence period, they may be returned/recalled back to custody by the court.

Disposal: Disposal is an umbrella term referring both to sentences given by the court and pre-court decisions made by the police. Disposals may be divided into four separate categories of increasing seriousness starting with pre-court disposals then moving into first tier and community-based penalties through to custodial sentences.

First listing: The first hearing of the case in a magistrates’ court, whether or not the defendant is present.

First tier penalty: This is an umbrella term used for the following orders made at court: bind over, discharges, fines and deferred sentences.

First Time Entrants (FTEs): First Time Entrants to the criminal justice system are classified as children (aged 10 to 17), resident in England and Wales, who received their first reprimand, warning, caution or sentence in England and Wales, based on data recorded by the police on the PNC.

Gravity score: An offence’s seriousness, or ‘gravity score’ is scored out of eight, ranging from one (least serious) up to eight (most serious). The offence list reflects that of the Police National Legal Database (PNLD) and is in line with other criminal justice agencies.

Index offence: The index offence is the proven offence that leads to an offender being included in the reoffending cohort. An offence is only counted as an index offence if it is recordable, committed in England and Wales, prosecuted by the police and not a breach offence.

Indictable cases: The most serious cases, such as murder and rape, which must be heard at the Crown Court. The involvement of the magistrates’ court in these cases is brief, and usually consists of a decision on whether to grant bail, and considers other legal issues, such as reporting restrictions. The case is then passed to the Crown Court.

Legal basis for detention: Legal basis refers to the legal basis for the child’s detention, the (custodial) order given to them by the courts. A child may have multiple custodial orders simultaneously, legal basis refers to the custodial order which takes precedence.

Notifiable offences: Notifiable offences are those offences which require the police to record an incident as a crime and report the occurrence to the Home Office.

Otherwise dealt with: Includes a number of orders, for example hospital orders, confiscation orders and compensation orders.

Primary offence: Where more than one offence is considered in a court case or cautioning occasion, the offence that would/did attract the most severe sentencing outcome is deemed to be the primary offence. Other offences also dealt with in that case would be ignored for data recording purposes. If two offences in the same case attract the same sentence the offence with the statutory maximum sentence is deemed the ‘primary offence’.

Proven offence: A proven offence is defined as an offence which results in a child receiving a caution or sentence.

Recordable offence: Recordable offences are those that the police are required to record on the Police National Computer. They include all offences for which a custodial sentence can be given plus a range of other offences defined as recordable in legislation. They exclude a range of less serious summary offences, for example television licence evasion, driving without insurance, speeding and vehicle tax offences.

Referral Order: The order requires the child to attend a youth offender panel consisting of a YJS representative and two lay members. The panel agrees a contract with child lasting between three and 12 months. The contract will include reparation and a number of interventions felt suitable for that child (for example, a substance misuse assessment, anger management etc.). If completed successfully, the Referral Order is considered a ‘spent’ conviction and need not be declared.

Remand to Youth Detention Accommodation: Where a court orders a Remand to Youth Detention Accommodation prior to a trial or sentencing hearing, the Youth Custody Service (YCS) Placements Team will place the child in Youth Detention Accommodation according to their needs. There is therefore no need for the court to specify in the warrant the precise home, centre or institution but the court must specify the designated local authority so that the YCS may consult it on the placement decision.

Reparation Order: Reparation Orders require a child to undertake reparation either directly for the victim or for the community at large (for example, cleaning up graffiti or undertaking community work).

Safeguarding: All organisations whose work impacts on children have a responsibility to ensure that the actions they undertake protect the safety and welfare and promote the well-being of those children, the staff who work with them and members of the public. The Youth Justice Board works to protect the safety of children, the community and staff as well as encourage education and equality in our workings.

Secure Children’s Home (SCH): An accommodation type within the youth secure estate. Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs) in England are run by Local Authorities in conjunction with the Department for Education in England. There is one Secure Children’s Home in Wales run by Neath Port Talbot local authority in conjunction with the Welsh Government. SCHs are utilised for the placement of the youngest, most ‘at risk’ children within the estate and those with the most complex / holistic needs. Secure Children’s Homes have high staff to children ratios allowing focus on the emotional, physical and mental health needs of the they accommodate. SCHs generally accommodate remanded or sentenced children but can also accommodate children placed by Local Authorities on welfare matters. When referring to SCHs within statistics on the youth justice system, only those children held on remand to youth detention accommodation or those sentenced to custody are counted.

Secure Training Centre (STC): An accommodation type within the youth secure estate, available to sentenced or remanded children aged 12 to 17. STCs are available to place those children who are a little older and perhaps more independent and more motivated to attend school or have risk factors which would make a placement in a YOI inappropriate. They provide a secure environment where children can be educated and rehabilitated. They are run by private operators under contracts which set out detailed operational requirements. Broadly speaking, staffing levels are three members of custody staff to children living in a group of eight, and two members of custody staff to children living in a group of six.

Self-harm: Self-harm in the youth secure estate is defined as “any act by which a child or young adult deliberately harms themselves irrespective of the method, intent, or severity of the injury”.

Seriousness score: See gravity score.

Separation: Separation refers to the “confining of a child or young adult in custody in their bedroom, to another room or area as a means of control and without the child or young adult’s permission or agreement, without a member of staff being present and with the door locked in order to prevent exit”.

Summary offences: These offences are usually heard only by a magistrates’ court. This group is dominated by motoring offences, for some of which fixed penalties can be issued, but also includes such offences as common assault and criminal damage up to £5,000.

Supervision requirement: A requirement of a Youth Rehabilitation Order. Requires a child to meet with the responsible officer or other nominated person as agreed.

Triable only on indictment: These offences are the most serious breaches of the criminal law and must be tried at the Crown Court before a judge and jury. These ‘indictable-only’ offences include murder, manslaughter, rape and robbery.

Triable-either-way: These offences may be tried either at the Crown Court or at a magistrates’ court. These offences include criminal damage where the value is £5,000 or greater, theft, burglary and drink driving. Triable only on indictment and triable either way offences are frequently amalgamated to form indictable offences.

Triage: Triage is an informal process that means a child will not be prosecuted, given a community resolution or youth caution. The child can be asked to go to Youth Justice Service appointments. The Police can deal informally with children who offend for the first time and have committed a less serious offence. Triage is recorded on the Police National Computer (PNC) as no further action (NFA).

Use of force: Refers to any instance where any level of force is used to manoeuvre or restrain a child or young adult, including any action that guides a child or young adult away from a harmful situation or intentionally blocks his or her path without necessarily overpowering the individual.

Youth Cautions: Youth Cautions are a formal out-of-court disposal that can be used as an alternative to prosecution for children (aged 10 to 17) in certain circumstances. A Youth Caution may be given for any offence where the child admits an offence, there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, but it is not in the public interest to prosecute.

Youth Conditional Cautions: A Youth Conditional Caution allows an authorised person (usually a police officer) or a relevant prosecutor (usually a member of the Crown Prosecution Service) to decide to give a caution to a child who has admitted guilt, with one or more conditions attached. When a child is given a conditional caution for an offence, criminal proceedings for that offence are halted while the child is given an opportunity to comply with the conditions. The prosecution is not normally commenced when the offender complies with the conditions.

Youth Custody Service (YCS): The Youth Custody Service was created in 2017 and is part of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. Prior to that its functions were carried out by the YJB. When a child aged 10 to 17 is remanded or sentenced to custody, the YCS decides where to place them. You can find out more about this process in the ‘Placing Young People in Custody: Guide for Youth Justice Practitioners’ guidance document.

Youth Justice Board (YJB): The YJB is a non-departmental public body responsible for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales. The YJB is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.

Youth justice services (YJSs): YJSs, formerly known as Youth Offending Teams, are multi-agency teams comprised of representatives from police, probation, education, health and social services, and specialist workers, such as accommodation officers. The statutory definition of a local youth justice service is contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. In statute these are known as Youth Offending Teams. However, as services have evolved, they have become known by different names. For this reason, we now prefer to use the term youth justice services (YJSs).

In the year ending March 2023, there were 154 YJSs across England and Wales. Organised geographically and independent of the police and courts, they advocate for children involved with the criminal justice system both in custody and in the community, run prevention programs aimed at keeping children from criminal activity and provide advice and guidance for children and their families in court.

Young Offender Institution (YOI): An accommodation type within the youth secure estate. Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) can accommodate children and young adults aged from 15 to 21. However, the Youth Custody Service (YCS) is only responsible for commissioning YOIs which hold young males aged from 15 to 17. A small number of young adults aged 18 will remain in an under 18s YOI before either being released or transitioning to the young adult or adult estate. YOIs tend to be larger than SCHs and STCs with lower ratios of staff to children. Consequently, Children who are more resilient and older may be placed in a YOI. Also, children who predominantly externalise their risk may be placed within a YOI.

Youth Rehabilitation Order (YRO): The Youth Rehabilitation Order (YRO) was introduced at the end of November 2009. The YRO provides judges and magistrates with a choice of 17 rigorous community options from which they can create a sentence specifically designed to deal with the circumstances of the children before them. The requirements available for a YRO are: Supervision; Curfew; Activity; Unpaid Work; Attendance Centre; Electronic Monitoring; Programme; Education; Exclusion; Drug Treatment; Prohibited Activity; Intoxicating Substance Treatment; Residence; Drug Testing; Mental Health Treatment; Intensive Fostering; and Local Authority Residence.

Youth secure estate: There are three strands of the youth secure estate. These are; Secure Children’s Homes (SCH), Secure Training Centres (STC) and Young Offender Institutions (YOI).

7. Local Level Tables

This section explains the variables used in the Local Level Tables and the Local Level Open Data. As with any large-scale administrative recording system, figures are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

7.1 Youth Custody Open Data Table

These youth custody open data tables accompany the monthly Youth Custody Report.

Variable	Description	Categories
Financial_Year_Month	The month and financial year the custody data covers.   Custody figures are based on a snapshot.	YYYY/YY_MM_mmm e.g. 2017/18_01_Apr = April 2017
Calendar_Year_Month	The month and calendar year the custody data covers.   Custody figures are based on a snapshot.	YYYY_MM_mmm e.g.2017_04_Apr = April 2017
Age_Group	Age of children in custody in years.   Children aged 10 to 14 have been aggregated into one age group.	10 to 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
Age_Group_Ordered	Age of children in custody in years, with ordered groupings to aid pivot tables.  Children aged 10 to 14 have been aggregated into one age group.	1) 10 to 14, 2) 15, 3) 16, 4) 17, 5) 18
Ethnicity_Group	Ethnic group of children in custody.   Asian, Black, Mixed and Other have been aggregated into BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic). Ethnicity as defined by the child. There are some children where the ethnicity has not been provided and therefore is Unknown.	BAME, White, Unknown
Gender	Gender of children in custody.	Female, Male
Accomodation_Type	This is the type of establishment the children are placed in: Secure Children’s Home (SCH), Secure Training Centre (STC), Young Offenders Institute (YOI): males aged 15 to 17 only	SCH, STC, YOI
Number_Children	The number of children and children in custody.
Provisional_Finalised	This says whether the data are provisional or finalised.   Previous months data goes through additional quality assurance prior to this month publication.   This is then revised in the Youth Custody Report.	Provisional, Finalised

7.2 Children Tables

These children Local Level Tables and Local Level Open Data are based on data from Youth Justice Services on the number of children cautioned and sentenced and accompany the annual Youth Justice Statistics.

Variable	Description	Categories
Financial_Year	The financial year the data covers.	YYYY-YY
YJS	Name of supervising Youth Justice Service (YJS) at caution or sentence.
Region	Name of the YJB region the YJS supervising the children at the time of caution or sentence are in.
PCC	Name of the Police and Crime Commissioner area the YJS supervising the children at the time of caution or sentence are in.
England_Wales	Location of the YJS supervising the children at the time of caution or sentence.	England, Wales
Ethnicity_Group	Ethnic group of the children at caution or sentence. Ethnicity is self-defined.   There are some children where the ethnicity has not been provided and therefore is unknown.	Asian, Black, Mixed, Other, White, Unknown
Age_Group	Age of the children at caution or age at first court hearing for children who are sentenced. Children aged 10 to 14 have been aggregated into one age group and children aged 15 to 17 into another age group.	10 to 14,  15 to 17
Sex	The sex of the child who receives a caution or sentence.    There are some children where the sex has not been provided and therefore is unknown.	Girls, Boys, Unknown
Number_Children	Age is calculated at the time of caution or for those sentenced at the time of the first hearing.   This is because some may still be supported by the Youth Justice Service, even if they turn 18 before the sentence is passed.    This count does not include children who committed an offence who then turn 18 before their first hearing.   Data on the totals for the number of children cautioned or sentenced by YJS for the year ending March 2016 do not match the data in the Youth Justice Statistics or the Supplementary Tables from this period.   This is due to a late data submission from one YJS and therefore only has a minimal impact.

7.3 Offence Tables

These offence Local Level Tables and Local Level Open Data tables are based on data from Youth Justice Services on the proven offences committed by children and accompany the annual Youth Justice Statistics.

Variable	Description	Categories
Financial_Year	The financial year the data covers.	YYYY-YY
YJS	Name of supervising Youth Justice Service (YJS) at caution or sentence.
Region	Name of the YJB region the YJS supervising the children at the time of caution or sentence are in.
PCC	Name of the Police and Crime Commissioner area the YJS supervising the children at the time of caution or sentence are in.
England_Wales	Location of the YJS supervising the children at the time of caution or sentence.	England, Wales
Gravity_Score_Grouped	An offence’s seriousness, or ‘gravity score’ is scored out of eight, ranging from one (less serious) up to eight (most serious). Gravity scores have been grouped in this tool; 1-4 (less serious) and 5-8 (most serious). Offence group by gravity score are only available from 2016-17 onwards.	1-4, 5-8, Unknown, Not available
Offence_Group	Type of proven offence committed by children. A proven offence is one which a child receives a youth caution or sentence.
Number_Proven_Offences	Age is calculated at the time of caution or for those sentenced at the time of the first hearing. This is because some may still be supported by the Youth Justice Service, even if they turn 18 before the sentence is passed. This count does not include a small number of offences committed by those who turn 18 before their first hearing. Data on the total number of offences by YJS from the year ending March 2016 does not match the data in the Youth Justice Statistics or the supplementary tables from this period. This is due a late submission from one YJS and therefore only has a minimal impact. Not a count of children, one child may commit multiple offences.

7.4 Outcome Tables

These outcome Local Level Tables and Local Level Open Data are based on data from Youth Justice Services on the cautions and sentences given to children and accompany the annual Youth Justice Statistics.

Variable	Description	Categories
Financial_Year	The financial year the data covers.	YYYY-YY
YJS	Name of supervising Youth Justice Service (YJS) at caution or sentence.
Region	Name of the YJB region the YJS supervising the children at the time of caution or sentence are in.
PCC	Name of the Police and Crime Commissioner area the YJS supervising the children at the time of caution or sentence are in.
England_Wales	Location of the YJS supervising the children at the time of caution or sentence.	England, Wales
Caution_or_sentence_type	Type of youth caution or sentence given to children. Since 8th April 2013 there have been a number of changes in out of court disposals. The previously known reprimand and warning disposal categories for children have been replaced with a new out of court disposal: The Youth Caution for children. The guidance is published at the link: Youth Cautions Guidance for Police and Youth Offending Teams
Caution_or_sentence_tier	Tier of youth caution or court sentence given to children aggregated into outcome group.	Other, Pre court, First Tier, Community, Custody
Number_Caution_or_Sentence	The number youth cautions or court sentences given to children. Not a count of children as one child may receive multiple sentences. Age is calculated at the time of caution or for those sentenced at the time of the first hearing. This is because some may still be supported by the Youth Justice Service, even if they turn 18 before the sentence is passed. This count does not include a small number of offences committed by those who turn 18 before their first hearing. Data on the totals for the number of cautions or sentences by YJS from the year ending March 2016 do not match the data in the Youth Justice Statistics or the Supplementary Tables from this period. This is due to a late data submission from one YJS and therefore only has a minimal impact.

Annex A

Table A: Data sources used for each chapter of the report and the quality of the data

Name	Owner	Description	Quality Status	Use in YJ Stats YE March 2023
Police National Computer (PNC)	MoJ	The Police National Computer (PNC) is the police’s administrative IT system used by all police forces in England and Wales and managed by the Home Office. The PNC largely covers recordable offences – these are all indictable and triable-either-way offences plus many of the more serious summary offences. Information regarding the proven re-offending behaviour of offenders and criminal histories of offenders has been compiled using the Ministry of Justice’s extract from the Police National Computer (PNC). The quality of the information recorded on the PNC is generally assumed to be relatively high as it is an operational system on which the police depend, but analysis can reveal errors that are typical when handling administrative datasets of this scale.	National Statistics	Chapters 1, 2, 9, 10 and 11
Courts	MoJ	Statistics on prosecutions, convictions and sentencing are either derived from the LIBRA case management system, which holds the magistrates’ courts records, or the Crown Court’s CREST system which holds the trial and sentencing data. The data include offences where there has been no police involvement, such as those prosecutions instigated by government departments, private organisations and individuals. From July 1995, all Crown Court data on trials and sentences has been received directly from the Court Service’s CREST computer system and from November 2008 all magistrates’ courts data has been provided by the LIBRA case management system. All data are subject to a variety of validation checks prior to publication.	National Statistics	Chapters 5, 6 and 11
Youth Justice Application Framework (YJAF)	YJB	This system contains case level data on children cautioned or sentenced of an offence, submitted to the YJB from YJSs’ operational case management systems. Prior to year ending March 2010 only summary level data was submitted to the YJB by YJSs. Data are submitted on a quarterly basis.	Admin System	Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Annex B and used for the local level data
Youth Justice Application Framework (YJAF)	YCS	Data for year ending March 2013 to the year ending March 2016 for under 18-year-olds for Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs), Secure Training Centres (STCs), and Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) comes from the YJB’s eAsset database. Data for 18-year-old females in SCHs and STCs also comes from eAsset and data for 18-year-old males in YOIs comes from NOMS. Data are based on monthly snapshots of the youth secure estate, taken on the last Friday of the month or first Friday of the following month, depending on which is nearer to the actual month end.	Admin System	Chapter 6 and 7
Behaviour management	YCS	The Behaviour Management data are taken from monthly summary level data returns from establishments to the YCS and extracts from the Incident Reporting System (IRS). Prior to 2018 these data were collected by the YJB. In 2019 the manual collection systems were reviewed and updated by the Youth Custody Service. The change resulted in a break of time series for assaults data. Other behaviour management definitions were not amended but reporting practices could have changed slightly by the change in collection method. Information on protected characteristics is now obtained by linking individual children and young adults involved in incidents to their records in YJAF.	Admin System and data collection templates	Chapter 8
Use of force under the Managing and Minimising Physical Restraint (MMPR) system	YCS	MMPR is a behaviour management and restraint system that has been developed specifically for staff working with children and young adults in STCs and under-18 YOIs. All secure establishments currently report restraint incidents against the definition of RPI and this will continue. However, under MMPR, establishments are also required to report more detailed case level data to the YCS on all uses of force, irrespective of whether they meet the RPI definition or not. This includes the use of MMPR techniques and any use of force that is not an MMPR technique. Prior to 2018 these data were collected by the YJB.	Admin System	Chapter 8
Arrests	Home Office	The arrests figures relate to arrests for notifiable offences only, which form the basis of recorded crime statistics. The data presented are drawn from returns from the 43 local police forces in England and Wales, and cover trends in arrest rates in England and Wales, as well as breakdowns by offence group, gender and self-defined ethnicity. Figures on arrests reported to the Home Office reflect police activity and should not be used to infer levels of crime committed by offenders, or their specific characteristics.	National Statistics	Chapter 1
Population	ONS	2021 Census population data are available at national level by single year of age and sex and sub nationally (local authority/police force area) by additional selected age groups. The population estimates reflect the local authority administrative boundaries that were in place on the reference date for the Census.	National Statistics	Chapter 1 and 2
Adults in custody	MoJ	Key statistics relating to offenders who are in prison or under the National Probation Service’s or Community Rehabilitation Companies’ supervision. It covers flows into these services (receptions into prison or probation starts) and flows out (discharges from prison or probation terminations) as well as the caseload of both services at specific points in time.	National Statistics	Chapter 11
Average number of days from offence to completion	MoJ	The criminal court timeliness measure is an estimated average of the time criminal cases spend in the CJS, across both magistrates’ and Crown tiers of criminal court. These statistics are sourced from the administrative data systems used in the magistrates’ courts and Crown Court and are produced by linking records (the Libra Management Information Timeliness Analysis Report and CREST linked court data, HMCTS). Records are linked based on a combination of variables including given name, middle name, family name, date of birth, sex, postcode, a committal date, and two identifiers: The Arrest/Summons Number (ASN) and Pre-Trials Issue Unique Reference Number (PTIURN).	National Statistics	Annex B Tables
Police Recorded Crime	Home Office	Police recorded crime is the number of crimes reported to and recorded by the police. For types of crime that are well-reported and accurately recorded, police data can provide a valuable measure of trends. These data also provide an insight into the demands being made on the police and are useful in assessing how caseload has changed both in volume and nature over time. However, police recorded crime statistics do not always provide a reliable measure of levels or trends for many types of crime. This is because not all crimes are reported to the police. For example, victims may be reluctant to report a crime because it seems too trivial, or not worth reporting. In contrast, other crimes, such as thefts, may be more likely to be reported if they require a crime reference number to be issued by the police, to support an insurance claim. Furthermore, police recorded figures can be affected by changes in recording practices. Some types of crime are less affected by changes in recording practices. In these cases, police figures can be a useful supplement to the CSEW by providing a measure that better covers the more harmful, less frequently occurring offences that the survey does not cover well.	Official Statistics	Flows through the youth justice system (see PDF version)