Prison

If you commit a crime and are found guilty you might end up serving time in custody. As a young person and under the age of 18 you will not be sent to an adult prison like Brixton, Holloway or Wormwood Scrubs.

Instead you could be sent to one of 3 types of secure accommodation specifically for young people.

• Secure children’s home
• Secure training centre
• Young offender institution

As a young person (aged between 12 – 17years) you are sent to one of these 3 types of accommodation if you receive a Detention and Training Order (DTO). This is the specific name given to the sentence you would have received. For more information please visit the Youth Justice Board.

This type of secure accommodation is run by your local authority. If you are under the age of 14 you are likely to be sent to secure children’s home.

These homes are the smallest out of the 3 types of secure accommodation so here you would be living with the fewest number of other young people.

At this type of secure accommodation you will be living with more young people than you would in a secure children’s home.

As part of your daily activity you will be required to take part in education, gaining qualifications that you can use once you have finished your custodial sentence.

This type of secure accommodation is run by the Prison Service. Like STCs you will be expected to attend education classes, with the chance to gain qualifications that you can use when you are released. YOIs are also home to prisoners ages 18-20.

As a young person you will remain on a separate wing or at a separate prison until your 18th birthday when you will be transferred to be housed with the 18-20yr olds.