A place of detention is any public or private facility where a child is deprived of liberty.

A child is held in pre-sentence detention where he or she is deprived of liberty and is awaiting a final decision on his or her case from a competent authority.

Prevention involves the active creation of an environment that deters children from conflict with the law. Such an environment should ensure for the child a meaningful life in the community and foster a process of personal development and education that is as free from crime as possible.

Probation is a non-custodial measure involving the monitoring and supervision of a child whilst he or she remains in the community. A competent authority, the public prosecutor, the social welfare service or a probation officer usually supervises probation. Probation may be employed as a measure on its own, or following a custodial sentence. During probation, the young person must maintain good behaviour, not commit another offence, and meet any other conditions the court may deem appropriate to impose.

A probation officer is the government official responsible for supervising a period of probation. He or she is often in charge of conducting an assessment of the child and referring him or her to appropriate counselling, education and reintegration programmes.

A public disorder offence is an offence involving a breach of the peace or causing a public nuisance.