Chapter 11 - Youth Justice in Canada

Question 1

delinquents

Answer 1

An outdated term for young people who committed criminal acts.

Question 2

status offence

Answer 2

Under the Juvenile Delinquents Act, this term refers to actions that were not
considered crimes for adults but were unlawful for youth, such as drinking alcohol.

Question 3

age–crime curve

Answer 3

Involvement in crime increases during early adolescence, peaks during the teenage years and early adulthood, and then decreases throughout adulthood (some social scientists call this “aging out” of crime).

Question 4

indentured servants

Answer 4

Workers who were bound by a contract to work without pay for a given period of time; this included abandoned or orphaned children who immigrated to Canada and were placed with families for several years until they could “work off” the costs of their travel to Canada.

Question 5

training schools

Answer 5

Secure placements that were similar to today’s secure custody facilities (also called reformatories, reform schools, or industrial schools).

Question 6

Taking no further action:

Answer 6

The police officer takes no response to a complaint or incident.

Question 7

Police warning

Answer 7

The officer informally warns the youth that his or her continued wrongdoing will result in more formal interventions.

Question 8

Police caution:

Answer 8

The officer takes a more formal approach and may write a letter to the youth (or to their parents), or the officer may ask to meet at the police station to discuss the youth’s behaviour.

Question 9

Referral

Answer 9

Youth are sometimes referred to community-based treatment that might be related to their offending. For example, if a
youth has an alcohol problem that leads to involvement in theft, a referral for an alcohol assessment may be appropriate.

Question 10

Crown caution:

Answer 10

the Crown prosecutor might decide to caution the youth after the case has been transferred to the prosecution unit.

Question 11

Extrajudicial sanction:

Answer 11

These sanctions are the most formal and involve participation in programs established by the provinces, which may involve some restorative justice approaches such as volunteer work, community service work, or making some form of compensation to the victim(s).

Question 12

personal service order

Answer 12

Requires a youthful offender to compensate the crime victims through work supervised by a youth probation officer.

Question 13

bail supervision

Answer 13

Allows a youth accused of a crime to remain in the community even though there may be a lack of specialized mental health or child welfare services that he or she requires.

Question 14

deferred custody

Answer 14

Provides youth with an opportunity to serve their custodial sentence in the community, but if they do not abide by the conditions of their release, judges can order the youth to serve the remainder of their sentence in custody.

Question 15

intensive support and supervision

Answer 15

Enhanced supervision that is provided to youth who are considered to be at high risk or to have high needs.

Question 16

community youth workers

Answer 16

Individuals whose job is to prepare pre-sentence reports for the court, monitor youth on bail supervision, and supervise youth on probation.

Question 17

cost-benefit analyses

Answer 17

An approach to estimating the costs of justice-system interventions, such as different types of treatment, and comparing those costs to the benefits in reduced crime.

Question 18

trauma-informed care

Answer 18

An approach to delivering interventions that acknowledges the impacts of trauma on individuals and the importance of providing services in a safe, healing, and empowering manner.

Question 19

wraparound services

Answer 19

An approach to developing an individualized, community-based case plan for a young offender by involving a team of their family and community professionals.