It shall not be competent to impose imprisonment on a person under 21 years of age.

Subject to F1sections 205(2) and (3), 205A(2)(b) and 205B(2)(b) of this Act and to subsections (3) and (4) below, a court may impose detention (whether by way of sentence or otherwise) on a person, who is not less than 16 but under 21 years of age, where but for subsection (1) above the court would have power to impose a period of imprisonment; and a period of detention imposed under this section on any person shall not F2be less than the minimum nor more thanthe maximum period of imprisonment which might otherwise have been imposed.

The court shall not under subsection (2) above impose detention on an offender unless it is of the opinion that no other method of dealing with him is appropriate; and the court shall state its reasons for that opinion, and, except in the case of the High Court, those reasons shall be entered in the record of proceedings.

To enable the court to form an opinion under subsection (3) above, it shall obtain from an officer of a local authority or otherwise such information as it can about the offender’s circumstances; and it shall also take into account any information before it concerning the offender’s character and physical and mental condition.

In forming an opinion under subsection (3) above the court shall take into account its power to make a hospital direction in addition to imposing a period of detention.

A sentence of detention imposed under this section shall be a sentence of detention in a young offenders institution.