Canada's Juvenile Justice System: Promoting Community-Based Responses to Youth Crime

Abstract

There have been profound changes in Canada's juvenile justice system during the century that it has been in existence, most recently when the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA)1 YCJA., S.C. 2002, c. 1. In force from 1 April 2003.came into force in April 2003. A major rationale for enacting the statute was to reduce Canada's high rate of custody for adolescent offenders, based on the belief that community-based responses are more effective for dealing with most young offenders. The YCJA continues to protect the legal rights of youth, such as access to counsel. This chapter discusses the evolution of Canada's juvenile justice system over the past two decades. It considers the policy concerns that led to the enactment of the YCJA and the impact that the new law is having. The new statute addresses some problems in youth justice that have been uncovered by empirical research, and is thus to a significant degree, evidence-driven. Where appropriate, we provide Canadian research findings relevant to the specific policy developments.