NCJ Number
104695
Journal
Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 38 Issue: 1 Dated: (1987) Pages: 17-28
Date Published
1987
Length
12 pages
Annotation
A systems analysis of Canada's juvenile justice system under the 1982 Young Offenders Act can help distinguish the system's boundary between justice and social welfare, identify the influence of environmental factors on system operation, and analyze subsystems in transition.
Abstract
With the implementation of the Young Offenders Act, the juvenile justice system boundaries should be more precisely determined, as the concepts of due process and offender culpability emphasized in the act suggest a move toward juvenile processing similar to the adult criminal justice system, with a consequent deemphasis on social welfare services for juvenile delinquents. The opportunity for media coverage of juvenile hearings under the act is likely to increase environmental influences on the juvenile justice system. The emphasis on due process, offender culpability, and community safety under the Young Offenders Act support the use of police, court, and corrections functions as boundary determinants of the juvenile justice system. Court-related clinical and social services interact with other justice system components to address the special needs of juveniles. The application of a systems' perspective to the juvenile justice system should highlight the emergence of subsystem priorities and areas of conflict within and external to the 'open' system of juvenile justice. Canada's juvenile justice system, currently in transition, is experiencing conflict and uncertainty. The uncertainty may be detrimental if the act is implemented without an analysis from an integrated systemic perspective. 3 figures and 23-item bibliography.