State of the Criminal Justice System Dashboard
The Experiences of Youth with the Youth Criminal Justice System
In 1908, Canada established a distinct justice system specifically for youth aged 12 to 17 in response to growing concerns about the negative impacts of harsh adult sentencing on children and youth. The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) currently governs the youth criminal justice system. The YCJA recognizes that while youth must be held accountable for criminal acts, they are still maturing and have unique needs that should be considered when they come into contact with the law. While the youth and adult criminal justice systems are similar in some regards, there are some key differences. For instance, the youth justice system places a greater emphasis on out-of-court responses, where appropriate, to allow early and effective intervention and provide community-based responses to youth crime, while avoiding the negative effects on the development of youth that can result from being in custody.
The following five sections provide a non-exhaustive overview of academic literature, government studies, and reports by commissions that have examined the experiences of youth with the Canadian youth criminal justice system as victims and survivors of crime, and as accused and offenders. This includes an examination of the unique experiences of Indigenous youth and Black youth.
When navigating the Youth thematic pages, it is important to remember that many factors contribute to youth experiences with the criminal justice system, such as age, gender, sexual orientation, ethno-cultural background, family socioeconomic status and contact with other systems like child welfare.
It is important to note that there is limited Canadian research available on several topics presented in the Youth thematic pages. Canadian sources are used where possible; however, when insufficient, international research from western countries with similar justice systems, such as the United States or the United Kingdom, is used. For additional information and a summary of the literature, click on the links below or on Bibliography.
- Victims and survivors
- Interactions of justice-involved youth with other social systems
- Accused and offenders
- Indigenous youth
- Black youth
Addressing the Unique Needs and Risks of Youth in the Youth Criminal Justice System
To address the unique needs and risks of youth in the youth criminal justice system, Canada has implemented several governmental responses such as legislative and program funding initiatives. Some of these initiatives are included in the links below: