The youth criminal justice act governs Canadian youth between the ages of 12-18 who have committed a criminal offence.
Children between these ages are still growing, and maturing as people, and may not recognize the full extent to their actions. However, punishing a child the same way an adult may be punished may hinder their ability to ever lead a "normal" life, and may actually cause more harm in the long run.
The Canadian government realized, this and as a result implemented the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).
The Youth Criminal Justice Act tends to lean towards restorative justice in a way of punishment.
to read more on the Youth Criminal Justice Act click here
One of the most popular tactics used is known as Restorative Youth Conferencing.
Restorative youth conferencing is essentially a mix of victim-offender conferencing and restorative conferencing. The offending youth (and their parents/guardians) meet with the victim, police, a conference co-coordinator, and if appropriate, community representatives.
During these conferences, the victim and the offender discuss how to make amends, and how to prevent these events from happening again. Additionally, like normal restorative justice, the victims are able to express how they feel about the harm that may have been caused.
According to research conducted by Morris and Maxwell, there was only a 26% re conviction rate with young offenders in New Zealand. (note: the program only dealt with moderate and serious offences)
"In conferences where the restorative elements were achieved - such as meeting with the victim and the offender, apologizing, and showing remorse - there were more likely to result in reduced re offending rates" (compared with court disposals).
Sources
http://search.credoreference.com.library.sheridanc.on.ca/content/entry/willanyouthj/restorative_youth_conferencing/0
http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/yj-jj/ycja-lsjpa/back-hist.html
http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/jsp-sjp/rr00_16/p3.html
No comments:
Post a Comment