The term 'youth residential centre' came into use with the passage of the 1989 Children and Young Persons Act 1989. It described an institution for the detention of offenders under the age of 15. Young people aged 15 or over were detained in a youth training centre. The term also appeared in the Children Youth and Families Act 2005, which provides that a child (aged 10 to 15) found guilty of an offence can be ordered to be detained in a youth residential centre.
1864 - c. 1954 Reformatory
1954 - c. 1961 Juvenile School
c. 1961 - Youth Training Centre
c. 1989 - Youth Residential Centre
Prepared by: Cate O'Neill
Created: 5 May 2011, Last modified: 20 February 2015