Bradford Youth Court has undergone a £45,000 transformation to improve the passage of justice.

The court, pictured, has been refurbished to allow magistrates to communicate better with defendants and their parents.

And the facelift coincides with changes in the youth court system which give the magistrates more options to stop offenders getting into further trouble.

Ted Wallis, chairman of the youth panel, said the revamp was much-needed as the court, within Bradford Magistrates complex, had not been changed since 1972.

"This is a great improvement. We do think it will make a difference by encouraging defendants to open up," said Mr Wallis, who has been a magistrate for 36 years. "It came from the Bulger trial that youths should be treated in a less formal atmosphere and this is based on a model in Rotherham to make it more relaxed."

Following the trial of the two ten-year-olds accused of murdering Liverpool toddler James Bulger, legal experts argued that the traditional court house was too imposing for the trials of children.

Inside Bradford Youth Court the raised bench has now been replaced by one on the same level and the layout has been changed to an oval shape to make a discussion easier.

Fading cream walls have been painted blue, and cherry wood furniture, which can be moved around, has been fitted.

Angela Barker, chairman of Bradford Magistrates, said everything was designed to be more open so youths could speak freely.

"No longer do young defendants sit back and leave it all to their solicitor. They are expected to talk, to take part, to explain to the magistrates," she said. Parents must now sit in court if their child is under 16 and victims are invited to attend the hearing and may receive a letter of apology.

Increasingly young offenders have to make amends for the crimes they commit. In one case a teenager who pleaded guilty to shoplifting worked in a supermarket collecting trolleys.

Frank Gray, Bradford district legal director, said: "It is about creating the right sort of a room to enable magistrates to engage with youth offenders. The fact that everybody is on the same level makes it less daunting."

Julie Hart, witness service manager for Bradford and Keighley magistrates courts, said: "The environment now is more user friendly for everybody - not just the defendants but the witnesses too, so they don't feel intimidated."