They are usually NOT sentenced. When a juvenile appears before a court for the first time, and is found guilty of a property offence, the court is not required to send the offender to a detention centre. The court may counsel the juvenile without recording a penalty, require the juvenile not to re-offend for a period of time, or make the offender pay a fine or work in the community. When a juvenile is found guilty of a second property offence, he or she can co-operate with the court by agreeing to participate in a diversionary program as an alternative to spending time in a detention centre. If a juvenile satisfactorily completes a diversionary program, the court may discharge the juvenile without a penalty.
Court can decide more than the minimum.
When a juvenile appears before a court for the third time or more, and is found guilty of a property offence, the court must order the juvenile to spend 28 days in a detention centre. An offender may be found guilty of one or many property offences on the same day, but the court is only required to impose one sentence of 28 days. The court may decide to sentence the offender for more than the mandatory minimum period. If the juvenile does not want to participate in a diversionary program, or if the court thinks that the juvenile is unsuitable, or if the juvenile fails to satisfactorily complete the program, the court must order the juvenile to spend 28 days in a detention centre. The Northern Territory Juvenile Pre-Court Diversion Scheme was implemented on 1 September 2000 with the aim of diverting juveniles away from the formal justice system.