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<p>Cases involving young defendants are given priority, irrespective of the court
in which they appear, and youth cases are continually reviewed to ensure that they
are progressed as quickly as possible.</p><p>There were 8,099 youth outstanding cases
in magistrates' courts in England and Wales as at the end of September 2022, the most
recent time period available. This includes any case involving a defendant under the
age of 18 heard in the magistrates’ courts, not just those heard in the Youth Court.
It is not possible to separate out statistics for the latter.</p><p>At any one time
there will always be outstanding cases – those for which evidence is being prepared
for example. Other than the increase in cases due to Covid in 2020, the number of
current cases is broadly in line with those over recent years and we do not anticipate
any adverse impact on the youth justice system.</p>
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