NCJ Number
102011
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 28 Issue: 3 Dated: (July 1986) Pages: 315-322
Date Published
1986
Length
8 pages
Annotation
In implementing the Young Offenders Act (YOA), which is strongly based on punishment rather than rehabilitation, the Canadian Government has legitimized the neglect of young persons previously cared for under the Juvenile Delinquents Act.
Abstract
An analysis of the fairness-as-justice policy as implemented in the United States, and upon which the YOA is based, suggests such a policy will contribute to a correctional response to delinquency. Research in Canada confirms this. Since enactment of YOA, custody committals to training schools have increased, use of treatment services has decreased, average lengths of stay in detention facilities have increased, and requests for psychological evaluations and social history reports have decreased. Increased use of detention appears to be tied to the increased emphasis on due process, and is compounded by the consent-to-treatment issue. In its present form, the YOA has created difficulties for proponents of rehabilitation. It is hoped that future amendments of the YOA will consider the need for a more balanced integration of juveniles' civil rights and rehabilitation. 21 references.