Youth justice is built on the principle of welfare and preventing reoffending, as set out in the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. The Crime and Policing Bill 2025 introduces new 'youth diversion orders', a counter-terrorism and risk management tool available to people under 21 to mitigate radicalisation risks. Most youth cases are heard in the Youth Court, although the most serious charges are remitted to the Crown Court for trial. The Act also recognises children as victims of exploitation, removing terms such as 'child prostitute' and placing the child sex offender disclosure scheme on a statutory footing.

Representation for young defendants requires specialist communication skills and a deep understanding of youth sentencing guidelines. The Sentencing Bill 2025 emphasises community-based alternatives and the deferment of sentence for up to one year to facilitate engagement with social services. The role of the defence is to ensure that the young person's background and maturity are fully considered and that Section 45 modern slavery defences are pursued where child criminal exploitation is suspected. Specialist counsel also manages the transition to 'respect orders' and ensures that the legal response remains welfare-focused and proportionate to the young person's circumstances.