Wade Turner was on Thursday sentenced to six months’ detainment in a youth jail after pleading guilty earlier this week to a string of charges, including the theft of six cars.

On Tuesday Turner’s lawyer, Wendy Duncan, told the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court her client did not trust himself to be able to fulfill the requirements of a community corrections order and instead urged the magistrate to consider placing him in a Youth Justice Centre.

Lengthy discussions about what sentencing options would best help the young man overcome his homelessness were had between Ms Duncan and magistrate Gregory Robinson at the second half of Turner’s plea hearing on Thursday.

Ms Duncan told the court Turner would have access to support programs to address his offending while in detention, with further supports put in place when he is eventually released into the community.

She also urged the magistrate to take into consideration the 44 days her client, who has never been in jail before, has spent in a maximum security prison.

In sentencing Turner, Mr Robinson said he hope the time in adult prison helped him see he was better off not committing offences.

“If you do - once you’re released - go back to old habits, you can’t keep expecting to go back to a Youth Justice Centre,” he said.

“Where you are now (maximum security) is where you will end up.”

Turner was sentenced to six months jail, with the 44 days on remand determined as time served.

The court previously heard Turner was tracked down by the owner of a car he stole back in November.

Turner was asleep in the back seat of the stolen Ford Ranger near St George's Lake in Creswick when the owner found him using the Find My iPhone app.

Woken by a torch light, Turner attempted to start the car before the owner used his spare key to open the door, grabbed Turner from the car and restrained him until police arrived.

The Ford Ranger had been stolen seven hours earlier from Victoria Park in Ballarat.

The court heard drug paraphernalia, a pocket knife and keys to another stolen car were found inside the Ranger. 

It was one of six cars stolen by Turner between April and November.

The court heard during another theft, Turner was seen driving a stolen car on footpaths in Wendouree before driving into a parked car with children inside and leaving the scene.

The car was found two days later burnt out on Bald Hills Road, Creswick.

On another occasion Turner, and a 16-year-old co-accused, stole a 1984 Ford Laser from a Castlemaine Road, Creswick address which was later found abandoned in Invermay with ice pipes and the drug ice inside.

Turner's lawyer, Wendy Duncan, told the court her client had taken full responsibility for the offending.

"He had firmly instructed he knows what he has done is wrong and doesn't want me or anyone else making excuses for him," she said.

She went on to tell the court Turner had been homeless since an early age, was extremely socially isolated and often used drugs to cope with those factors.

During sentencing on Thursday, Mr Robinson also cancelled Turner’s licence and disqualified him from driving for six months.