Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) Flashcards
(19 cards)
What’s the difference between fair and equitable?
Fair means treating everyone the same and giving everyone the same rules or resources.
Equitable means treating people based on their needs so everyone has a fair chance to succeed.
What’s Justice?
Treating people fairly and equally under the law, and making sure that rights are protected and wrongs are corrected.
What is the Justice System?
The set of institutions and processes (like courts, police, and prisons) that deal with laws, crime, and punishment in a fair and legal way.
What’s Legislation?
Laws that are made or passed by a government.
What is YCJA?
Youth Criminal Justice Act - A Canadian law that deals with young people aged 12 to 17 who commit crimes. It came into effect in 2003.
What’s a Criminal Record?
An official record kept by the police that shows someone has been found guilty of a crime.
What’s a Sentence?
The punishment or consequence given to a person by a judge after they are found guilty of a crime.
What does it mean to Rehabilitate and Reintegrate?
Rehabilitate - To help someone learn from their mistakes and change their behaviour so they can make better choices in the future.
Reintegrate - To support someone in returning to society in a positive, responsible way after they’ve gone through the justice system.
What are meaningful consequences and what are some examples?
Consequences that help young people understand the impact of their actions, take responsibility, and learn from their mistakes.
Ex. Warning, Charge, program, community service, counseling, prison, criminal record, letters to those effected, apologies, restitution (Paying for any damage done).
What factors determine the consequences young offenders face?
History
Circumstance
Attitude
Severity
What’s the Criminal Code of Canada?
A federal law that lists most of the crimes in Canada, and the punishments for those crimes. Deals with 18 and up.
What’s the difference between the YCJA and The Criminal Code of Canada?
YCJA - Youth 12-17, Allows most to avoid criminal records, protects the youths privacy (Publication of their name), prohibits youth from being treated like adults.
Criminal Code of Canada - Adults 18 and up.
Creates a criminal record for most offenders, allows publication of names, makes going to court usual for breaking law.
What’s a Jury?
A group of Canadian citizens (usually 12 people) who are chosen to listen to evidence in a court trial and decide if the accused person is guilty or not guilty. A jury is only used in some court cases, especially serious criminal trials.
What’s Jury Duty?
When a Canadian citizen is chosen by the government (And lawyers) to serve as a juror in a court trial.
The decision must be unanimous — all jurors must agree. And they must..
-Be impartial (fair and not biased)
-Keep everything they hear in court confidential
-Base their decision only on the evidence presented
What’s an Advocacy Group?
Provides support to youth and adults who have broken the law. They provide education about laws and the justice system.
Ex. Elizabeth fry society
John Howard Society
What can youth gain from an Advocacy Group?
Education, Get back into society, Help with Trauma, Employment programs.
What do Advocacy Groups try and do?
-Solve underlying reasons for crime.
-Provide public education about laws and the justice system.
-Stand up for the rights of youth and adults accused of crime.
-Call for measures to improve the fairness of the justice system.
-Rehabilitation and reintegration.
What is the Elizabeth Fry society and what do they want to do/what do they offer?
An advocacy group.
Want to break the cycle of poverty.
Start again through support and resources.
Offer pathways to healing.
Only women.
What is the John Howard Society and what do they want to do/what do they offer?
An advocacy group.
Serve youth and adults.
Provide housing and education.
Support so youth and adults have alternatives to breaking the law.
