How does the ycja prevent crime

What changes were made to the YCJA in ? This Part of the Act includes changes to the YCJA that significantly impacts the practice of Crown counsel who conduct youth prosecutions, most notably in relation to bail and sentencing.

Whereas the previous principles focused heavily on the youth, now the principles focus on protecting the public equally. The changes also provide more structure to ensure that youth are dealt with in similar ways for similar offences across Canada. What led to the changes? The report was written about a Nova Scotia case in which a 16 year old with no criminal record but with a pattern of stealing cars, ran a red light in a stolen vehicle and killed a woman in the intersection.

The report asks the question: How could this have happened? The previous inflexibility of the act meant that the Crown was not able to succeed in detaining this youth despite the fact that he was facing numerous charges just two days prior to the fatal car accident.

There was much discussion generated from this report, the outcome which resulted in the October amendments. Explore the YCJA. Training for Teachers. Login Register. How does the YCJA deal with youth crime? When dealing with youth, there must be an emphasis on: Rehabilitation and reintegration, Fair and proportionate accountability, Enhanced procedural protection, Timely intervention, and Prompt enforcement. If the youth is not guilty, he or she is free to go.

If the judge decides the youth is guilty, the judge will decide on a sentence punishment. Judges apply special rules when sentencing youth. Sentences should be similar to other youth sentences in similar cases.

A sentence should not be more severe than a sentence given to an adult. The judge will give a sentence that helps the youth feel responsible for their actions. Learn more about youth sentencing. When a youth is convicted of committing a crime, his or her name cannot be published. This is done to protect the youth. So, for example, if there is a report in the paper about the crime, the youth will be referred to only by the initials of his or her name like K. If the youth has committed a very serious crime like murder , he or she might be treated as an adult in court.

Usually, a youth will only be sent to jail if he or she has committed a violent offence and is a serious repeat offender the youth has committed the same or similar offence before.

A judge will think about many things before sending a youth to jail. All other options must be reviewed first. A youth cannot be sent to jail unless:. A judge must always give a reason for sending a youth to jail. In most cases, a youth will spend two-thirds of his or her sentence in jail, and the rest in the community.

A youth record is any document that connects a youth to a criminal case under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Like adults, a youth who is found guilty of a crime will have a criminal record. Information about his or her criminal history is kept in a file. No one can look at a youth record after a certain period of time has passed more on that below. An adult criminal record remains on the system and is available to police, courts and others forever, unless the person receives a pardon.

Having a criminal record can prevent a youth from travelling outside of Canada or studying at some universities. The convicted youth will usually have a record for 3 to 5 years after his or her last youth sentence is over. Sometimes the record is kept longer if the offence was very serious. Learn more about youth records. You may have heard that a youth record is erased or closed when you turn The Ontario Human Rights Code protects you from discrimination on many grounds and in many social areas.

You can be given a ticket for breaking a provincial law if you are over the age of Some of the common laws that young people are given tickets for is covered in this section. In family law, the rights of children are unique. These are some of the common issues that the SYLS lawyer is asked about. COVID update: things are changing constantly. Please contact us if you have any questions.

What approach does the Youth Criminal Justice Act take with young people? The content of the Preamble includes statements similar to the following: everyone shares the responsibility in addressing the challenges and needs of young people as they grow up, steps should be taken to see the reasons why a young person has committed a crime, young people have special rights that need to be protected, the youth criminal justice system should: consider the interests of victims; have meaningful consequences; work to try to stop people from committing further crimes; and cut down the use of custody for non-violent crimes.

The content of the Declaration of Principle includes statements similar to the following: The purpose of the youth criminal justice system is to: prevent crime by addressing the challenges and needs of young people that commit crimes; help young people who have committed crimes and put them back in society; and ensure that young people receive meaningful consequences for their offences.

The youth criminal justice system will put more focus on: helping to put young people who have committed crimes back into society, giving fair sentences consistent with the needs of young people and their low level of maturity, giving extra protection to young people, treating them fairly and respecting their right to privacy, and enforcing the law quickly to strengthen the link between the behaviour and its consequences.

Leaving Home In Ontario, you can choose where you live when you are 16 years old.