Youth justice and offending

Child and Youth Justice Service (CYJS) supervise 10–18 year olds who have been sentenced by a court or dealt with out of court for offending behaviour. HM Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) inspects both aspects of youth offending services (YOT). YOTs are statutory, multi-disciplinary partnerships, including staff from local authority social care, education services, police, National Probation Service (NPS), and local health services.

Lancashire has one of the largest CYJS in the country. It sits within Lancashire County Council’s directorate for children’s services. HMIP undertook a full inspection of the Lancashire youth offending services in 2019 and took part in a joint targeted area inspection of serious youth violence in 2024. Further information from these inspections can be found on the HMIP website.

The Ministry of Justice publishes annual statistics on the flow of young people (aged 10-17) through the Youth Justice System in England and Wales. The latest figures are for 2023/24.

Key figures

• 342 children were cautioned or sentenced. This represents a 27% increase from the previous year, although it remains more than 73% lower than its peak in 2013/14 showing a substantial reduction in the number cautioned or sentenced.

• 1,093 proven offences were committed by children representing a 69% increase since 2022/23. Despite this rise, the figure remains 64% lower than its peak in 2013/14 over the past decade.

• Violence against the person is the most common offence type, accounting for 25.5% of offences.

• 4.2% of sentences resulted in custody, which is comparable to the rate in England and Wales (4.4%).

• 182 first-time entrants to the youth justice system. This number has increased by 31% from the previous year but is 63% lower than its peak in 2013/14 over the past decade.

Page updated 22 September 2025