VISITORS to Kidderminster Magistrates Court were transported back to 1909 to mark 100 years of youth justice.

A mock 1909 court was held, with magistrates dressed in period clothes handing out sentences to young actors from Kidderminster’s Rose Theatre.

A 2009 youth court session was also played out, with defence lawyers and the Crown Prosecution Service arguing the fictional case of a 17-year-old charged with assault.

The open day on Wednesday was designed to show how the justice system has changed since youth courts were introduced in 1909.

A tour of the cells was also be available and visitors could experience being shut inside secure prison vehicles that transfer offenders to a Young Offenders Institution.

Members of the public are not usually allowed in on court sessions and magistrates said they hoped the event would give a glimpse of what goes on behind closed doors.

Jill Gramann, chairman of Kidderminster Magistrates youth panel, said: “We had more than 440 people through the doors, which for a weekday is wonderful, and of these more than 200 visited the cells.

“The feedback from visitors was hugely positive, from visiting the cells being a great deterrent to offending, to how harsh the regime was in 1909.

“There was also significant learning about what actually happens in a youth court now and what sentencing options we have and how we treat young offenders.

“We consider the day to have been very successful and that we have achieved our objective, which was to let local people into an otherwise closed process.

Throughout September there will be displays at Bewdley, Kidderminster and Stourport Libraries, including photos and pen portraits of magistrates from 1909.

As part of Bewdley Festival, two JPs from Kidderminster Youth Panel will talk about the youth court centenary on October 15 at Bewdley Baptist Church at 10.30am.