There are lots of different results the police investigation can have, and what happens will depend on your age, what you’ve got into trouble for, and what evidence the police have.
The police could decide not to take any more action if they:
think you haven’t committed a crime
don’t have enough evidence
don’t think it’s in the public interest to charge you (this means they don’t think it would be helpful enough to society to be worth it)
In these cases, the police end their investigation. But a ‘no further action’ outcome can still show up on your criminal record.
If you are charged, there are lots of different possible outcomes depending on your age and whether you live in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Options include “out-of-court disposals” (where your case is dealt with without you having to go to court).
Or there are various types of sentence you could be given by a youth court, a magistrates’ court or a Crown Court. Or, in Scotland, you could get an order made by a Children’s Hearing.
DISCOVER
Who makes the decision on the criminal case depends where you live.
If you live in England and the police have enough evidence that you have committed a crime, they may decide to share this with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The CPS will then decide what should happen to your case.
In Scotland, anyone under the age of 16 who gets charged gets referred to the Scottish Childrens Reporter Administration (SCRA). But be aware that some serious cases involving sexual offending may be dealt with in an adult court.
If you’re aged between 16 and 18 and you’re charged, your case will be dealt with in an adult court. That is, it will be unless one of these things is true:
the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service decide it’s not in the public interest to prosecute
you’re already on an order from a Children’s Hearing system and the Children’s Hearing panel agrees to deal with your offence
If you live in Wales and the police have enough evidence that you have committed a crime, they may decide to share this with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The CPS will then decide what should happen to your case.
If you live in Northern Ireland and the police have enough evidence that you have committed a crime, they may decide to share this with the Public Prosecution Service (PPS). They will then decide what should happen to your case.
It’s really important that you and your adult supporters talk through the different possibilities with your solicitor. They will be able to tell you what is most likely to happen in your case.