Sentencing Children
Key Facts and Statistics
Annalena Wolcke & Raphael Freund
Last updated: Jul 2026
Fact 1
Individuals who are between 10-17 years old at the time of sentencing are considered children.
IN 2025,
12,510
CHILDREN WERE SENTENCED IN ENGLAND & WALES1
Fact 2
In 2025, sentences for children accounted for
1.2%
of all sentences where age was recorded.
Fact 3
Most children who are
sentenced are between
15 and 17 years old.
| Age Range | Proportion |
|---|---|
| 10 to 11 | 0.1% |
| 12 to 14 | 12.4% |
| 15 to 17 | 87.5% |
Fact 4
Most sentenced children receive a Referral Order in 2025.*
The second-most common outcome was a Youth Rehabilitation Order.
*Note: Referral Orders and Youth Rehabilitation Orders are a special type of Community Order that can only be imposed on children.2
Fact 5
Distribution of Custodial Sentence Lengths for young adults and children, 2025
Note: Young Adults are adults aged 18-24.
Fact 6
Most common offences for children at sentencing
| Individuals sentenced in 2025 | |
|---|---|
| 1. Knife possession (possession of article with blade or point) | 1,158 |
| 2. Robbery | 993 |
| 3. Vehicle insurance offences – summary | 960 |
| 4. Common assault and battery | 850 |
| 5. Theft from a shop (shoplifting) | 792 |
Fact 7
Reoffending Rates by Age Group (2022-2023)3
Note: The Ministry of Justice defines reoffending as any offence committed in a one-year follow-up period that leads to a court conviction, caution, reprimand, or warning.
Fact 8
Among those sentenced to custody, children are about twice as likely to re-offend.
| Age Group | Post-Custody Reoffending Rate (2022-2023) |
|---|---|
| Children | 74% |
| Adults | 37% |
Fact 9
The average number of reoffences per individual is highest for young children.
| Age Group | Average Reoffences (2022-2023) |
|---|---|
| 10 to 14 | 5.09 |
| 15 to 17 | 4.13 |
| All convicted children | 4.34 |
| All convicted individuals | 4.02 |
Fact 10
and
who were sentenced in 2025 were children.
This infographic is one of a series on sentencing trends in England & Wales. Others can be found here. For further information, contact Annalena Wolcke at [email protected]
- Data source for fact 1: Age of Criminal Responsibility, no date. https://www.gov.uk/age-of-criminalresponsibility;
Facts 1-6, 10: Data calculated from Ministry of Justice (2026), Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: December 2025, published 30th of April. Outcomes by offence data tool, Table 2. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2025. ↩︎ - ‘Other’ sentence outcomes in Fact 4 include: absolute discharge, reparation order, compensation, and ‘otherwise dealt with’. ↩︎
- Facts 7-9: Data calculated from: Ministry of Justice (2025). Proven Reoffending Statistics: Proven reoffending tables (annual average), April 2022 to March 2023, published 30th of January, various tables.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/proven-reoffending-statistics-january-to-march-2023. ↩︎