Caution

A form of extrajudicial measure that involves a police officer or a prosecutor meeting with the youth, and often the parents, to warn the youth against further offending, and perhaps make a voluntary referral for counselling or support from some agency. A record is kept of the caution, as a future charge may be dealt with more formally, but record of a caution cannot be used in youth justice court proceedings. There is no legal distinction between a “warning“ and a “caution,” but the term “warning” generally refers to an informal caution, given by the investigating officer at the time of apprehension of a youth.