Youth Criminal Justice Act Research Paper

In Canada when a young person gets in trouble with the law, the punishment given will be in accordance with the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The Youth Criminal Justice Act was created in 2003. The main objective of this legislation is to hold youth accountable for their actions through the promotion of “rehabilitation” and “reintegration” (Youth Criminal Justice Act, 2002, S.3a(ii)). Within the Canadian court system, there is a youth court for individuals who get in trouble with the law while they are still under the age of 18 years. In Calgary, Alberta the youth courtrooms are located in the Calgary Courts Center building, which is located at 601 5th Street SW. I attended youth court on Wednesday, October 26, 2016 and Monday, October 31th. This paper will shed light on the atmosphere of the youth courtroom, analyze how the criminal justice professionals are acting within the courtroom, and discuss certain cases that went through the youth courts.

In the article “Incarcerating Youth As Justice? An In-depth Examination Of Youth, Incarceration, And Restorative Justice,” Maynard, Robyn, has done many research on youth incarceration. She wants readers to know how incarceration affect youth’s mind, how should we help them, and what cause youth to be criminal. According to her research, there is an act call Youth Criminal Justice Act. She says that this act allows judges to release the name of youth offenders to the public in order to make them feel shame about what they do. This act causes the decline of youth incarceration. Although this act works efficiently, posting youth offenders ' names to the public cause negative effect on the youth. Rhonda Buckland, a counselor in a youth organization, says that this act makes youth offenders lose the ability to survive in the society. They become weaker than others and lose the ability to communicate with others. Maynard, Robyn also finds out the biggest factor that causes youth incarceration is racial profiling. Because of their races, police treat them differently, and that makes them feel helpless in the

There are various efforts that are currently underway to bring about changes and reform in the juvenile justice system. One such program is The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University. This is a program that supports and educates leaders across systems of care to advance a balanced, multi-system approach to improving outcomes for, and promoting the positive development of, youth at risk of juvenile justice involvement (Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, 2014).

2. Another thing that surprised me was that there is a program called “BARJ” this stands for Balanced and Restorative Justice. They help kids who have committed a crime and explain them how much consequences it can lead to. They try to give kids a second chance at life by teaching them what’s right and wrong.

The question that needs to be answered is, does the Youth Criminal Justice Act in Canada properly address the victims' rights, the rights and needs of the young offender, and does it protect public safety? That question is hard to answer, as some people think that the Act is a more decent and humane way to approach young persons in trouble with the law. On the other hand others feel it offers too much protection to those whom least deserve it -- the young offenders, and very little to those who deserve it -- the victims. The Youth Criminal Justice Act should concentrate on making young offenders aware that they will be held responsible and accountable for their behaviour.

“ Young - In an early stage of life, growth, or development: not yet old.” (Merriam-Webster) On April 1, 2003 the Young Offenders Act came to an end and the Young Criminal Justice Act came into effect. The Young Criminal Justice Act, also known as, the YCJA is a law that governs Canada’s youth, 12 and over, but under 18 years of age, who have committed a criminal offence. Like everything, the YCJA was created for a purpose, and its purpose was to prevent crime done by youth and give the young offenders another chance.

The Youth Criminal Justice Act is the law that helps govern youth offenders in Canada, which has been created to introduce a overall fair and equitable method to deal with youth criminal offenders but could use further improvements. This act applies to youth between the ages of 12 and 17 and who have taken an offensive action against the law. Over the century there have been 3 youth justice statutes; the Juvenile Delinquents Act (1908-1984), the Young Offenders Act (YOA) (1984-2003), and the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) (2003-present). Significant changes were made to the act to make it much more fair and straight to the point. Changes such as the useage of courts in non-serious cases, fairness in sentencing, and lack of effective interrogation.

What is the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA)? The YCJA was created in 2003 in Canada’s Parliament by the Liberal Party of Canada and has been effective since April 1, 2003. This system is separate from the Criminal Code of Canada, and was created to treat young offenders differently compared to adult offenders since younger people think and act differently compared to adults. This act deals with youth aged 12 to 17 who have gotten into trouble with the law. It allows for youth aged 14 to 17 to receive adult sentences, if necessary. Youth receive no permanent criminal record, unless it is an adult sentence or if they are on the run. Under the YCJA, the media cannot release any details about the young offender. The YCJA is an effective law because it helps to protect the

iii) supporting the prevention of crime by referring young persons to programs or agencies in the community to address the circumstances underlying their offending

The YCJA otherwise known as the Youth Criminal Justice Act was created to make separation between adults and youths. It refers to kids from the ages of 12 to 18. The main goal of this act is to help kids stay away from the law so they are trouble free.

The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) takes care of people from the ages 12-17, who have committed criminal offences. The YCJA protects the young offenders from getting a criminal record, but instead these youths have to face a sentence. The YCJA came into effect on April 1, 2003 but was introduced to the House of Commons on October 14, 1999. Anne Mcallen who was the minister of justice of the YCJA at the time, replaced the Young Offenders Act (YOA) in 2003. Since then, the YCJA made its debut which decreased the youth charges by 21% in 2010. Nevertheless, the YCJA in my opinion has been fair and equal to all youth, but at the same time the YCJA needs improvement.

In Spring 2009, three offenders, all in grade eleven , set two houses is Sherwood park on fire. The youth criminal justice Act (YCJA) provided opportunities for them to reintegrate and rehabilitate, instead of throwing them in jail. YCJA covers kids between the ages twelve to seventeen years old. It 's purpose is to handle youth offenders more differently than adults because of their undeveloped minds. The YCJA was released back in 2003. By protecting the rights and providing Youth Canadians the support they need, the YCJA benefits the offenders in a positive way. The act gentrust the youth a second chance to make sure they don 't reoffend by rehabilitating and reintegrating them. Also youth over the age 14 years can get an adult sentence if necessary. Therefore, the YCJA is an effective law because it supports everyone; youth will acquire the help they need and Public Safety is insured.

In conclusion, all three of the theories show how important it is for juvenile’s to get the love and support from family, friends and community members. Showing that education is key to success if you want to outreach what society stero types juvenile offenders. When you have programs that want to help every step of the way, even after treatment that shows commitment to these young teens. They can get out of the life of crime and become anything that they put their minds to. In the end, you are the only person that can change your outcome by the choices you make in life.

This includes a case plan with the juvenile and family and is tailored to the needs of the juvenile in order to assist with successful reentry (DOCSSD, 2017). The contract includes conditions and expectations for the juvenile to abide by. Some terms which these contracts may range from drug testing, community service, a curfew, and restitution plans. By focusing on changing juvenile behavior, these programs hope to prevent further delinquency so the juvenile is able to transition into adulthood and live a productive life as a contributing member of society (NIJ, n.d.). The success of these programs is attributed to the supervision youth receive while not only institutionalized, but while transitioning back into the community (NIJ, n.d.).

The overwhelming majority of juveniles are involved in impulsive or risky, even delinquent behaviors during their teenage years. However, the majority go on to become very productive citizens who do not commit crimes. In order for this to continue the government established the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) which gives young offenders a chance to better themselves, and. By doing so, the YCJA helps teach youth that their actions are unacceptable and the punishments imposed are lesser then an adult. Through the analysis of their unacceptable actions, lesser punishments and a better future, it is clear that YCJA is highly effective at giving youth a better chance in society.