NI 043 - Young people within the Youth Justice System receiving a conviction in court who are sentenced to custody.

Young people are those aged 10-17. The young offenders cohort is established during the period January to March and includes all those receiving a pre-court disposal (reprimand or final warning) or a first-tier or community penalty or who are released from custody. This cohort is then tracked for 12 months to determine the total number of offences committed by those in the cohort. A reoffence is counted if it occurs within the 12 month tracking period and leads to a pre-court disposal or a court conviction, even if the pre-court disposal or court conviction occurs outside the 12 month period. By knowing the total number of reoffences and the total number of young people in the cohort, the average rate of reoffending can be calculated. All offences will count even if two or more offences are grouped for sentencing purposes and result in only one pre-court disposal or court conviction.