...Court Case Analysis of a Young Offender The Canadian public perception of youth crime is that it is growing out of control and that violence crime is common. Sensationalized media coverage, frustrated law enforcement officers and vote-seeking politicians, have tended to portray only parts of the overall reality of youth crime (John Howard Society, 2008). The government of Canada has evolved over the many years to deal with youth crime from installing the Juvenile Delinquency Act in 1908 all the way to the Youth Criminal Justice Act recently amended in 2012. What these acts have accomplished is the separation of youth and adult sentences (Stevenson, 2014). This was done in order to protect children because it is the belief in Canada that children are not responsible for their actions because of Doli incapax or the inability to do wrong. That being said there is still legislation in dealing with youth crime that is punishing and effective (Stevenson, 2014). This paper will analyze a court case decision made under the Youth Criminal Justice Act which involves a young offender who was convicted of a gang-related murder and breached Conditional Supervision Order (R. v. S.(M.), 2014). This court case will be analyzed using relevant research on youth gangs using concept of theories that apply to our young offender. In conclusion, this paper will discuss limitations of laws and possible alternatives that dealt with the young offender. A summary of R. v. S.(M.), the court based...
Words: 3723 - Pages: 15
... The Children and Young Persons Act 1963 (s.16) provides that ‘It shall be conclusively presumed that no child under the age of ten years can be guilty of an offence’. This means that once a child in the UK reaches the age of ten they are as exposed and liable to the full weight of the law the same as any adult. The UK currently has the lowest minimum age of criminal responsibility (except Scotland at 8 but cannot be prosecuted until 12) within the European Union. This places the UK significantly below the average of 14 years old. There seems to be little justification for this deviance from the norm in regards to the minimum age of responsibility in the UK and there have been considerable publications pushing for the UK to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility in the last decade, providing substantial evidence in favour of doing so. The evidence supporting the need to raise this minimum age can be found not only in psychology and scientific research regarding the brain development of youth and autonomy of children at this age, but also the severe social implications of criminalizing our youth. In order to argue that the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) should be raised it will be necessary to identify and evaluate this evidence, as well as identifying the issues that having a low MACR brings. This essay will first review the history of the MACR and discuss the effect of abolishing the doctrine of Doli Incapax on youth offenders, before presenting the...
Words: 4575 - Pages: 19
...What Works with Juvenile Offenders Juvenile Offenders are categorized differently than their adult counterparts for a variety of reasons. The primary reason is that as an offender who is not yet an adult, they are still considered a protected class due to their age and the concern of disrupting their rights to council and the rights of their parents to help dictate the events in their lives. Over the past few decades there have been several studies completed correlating the quantitative analysis in primary research studies with success rates of juvenile offender treatment. Because of the repeated success of certain treatments over others, these studies have lead to an agreement on what programs and intervention strategies work and which have little to no repeated success. By analyzing these treatment strategies as they have been portrayed in academic literature and through the primary research that has been completed, a summary analysis of what plans work when dealing with juvenile offenders will be devised and put forth as the best option for treatment. The first aspect to analyze when dealing with implementing a new strategy for juvenile offender reformation and treatment plans is the idea of quality of the plan versus quantity of sessions required with all individuals in correctional institutions across the United States. In the past two decades, the numbers of individuals within the correctional systems across the United States has skyrocketed. In 2004, the jump in population...
Words: 3477 - Pages: 14
...xxxxxx 05/20/2010 COM/220 Karen Moninger The life of a seven-year old girl tragically ends at the hands of a young boy. The court convicted Lionel Tate of first degree murder for beating the 48-pound girl, and sentenced him to life in prison. This punishment was a rather harsh judgment many in the community argue against today. Instead of incarcerating him for life, what other options are available? As teen violence continues to plague the nation, many people wonder if rehabilitation is an effective method for deterring future occurrences. Twelve-year old Lionel Tate took the life of a young girl named Tiffany Eunick. Lionel’s mother, a Florida Highway Patrol officer, was sleeping upstairs though she was responsible for babysitting Tiffany. The mother left the children watching television and playing together downstairs unattended. During horse play, Lionel begins to re-enact moves he saw watching wrestling. The 160-pound boy was responsible for cuts, bruises, fractured skull, lacerated liver, broken ribs and internal hemorrhaging on young Tiffany Eunick. Certainly the parents of the deceased child will want to see justice served for the loss of their loved one. Stories surface daily about a teen committing some sort of crime. A heart wrenching reality that many people will either themselves face, or know someone who has or will experience. The epidemic of teen violence is rapidly increasing; Statistics say youth under the age of 18 were arrested for nearly...
Words: 2130 - Pages: 9
...Restorative Justice and Juvenile Courts Denise Gladden CRJS-450-1402A-01: Advanced Topics in Corrections April 12, 2014 Abstract This paper provides a brief overview of two different juvenile programs, aftercare and institutions. It provides contrasting differences between the treatment received by juveniles in housed institutions and community aftercare programs, and there effects on recidivism. The effectiveness or ineffectiveness of both programs, in treating and rehabilitating juvenile delinquents is also discussed. Restorative Justice and Juvenile Courts Restorative justice refers to repairing the harm caused or revealed by criminal behavior. This is best accomplished through a cooperative process which includes all stakeholders (Restorative Justice, n.d.). The Intensive Aftercare Program is an intensive community-based research, and seeks to reduce recidivism among high-risk parolees by better preparing them for release back into the community. This program model is data driven research that show that a highly structured and enhanced transition from incarceration to the community can be beneficial to the parolees in areas of family and peer relations, education, jobs, substance abuse, mental health and recidivism without having a negative impact on the community. A valuable component of the Colorado’s Intensive Aftercare Program is the requirement that both surveillance and treatment services be provided. It has been determined to be relevant to success...
Words: 1382 - Pages: 6
...Final Exam Study Questions “The Hypercriminalization of Black and Latino Male Youth” by Victor M. Rios Summarize the essay. Explain what Rios means by “mass incarceration” (41). Rios declares that his article “is to account for the social effects of mass incarceration and the criminalization of young males of color” (41). Based on the evidence he provides, what are those “social effects”? What does Victor Rios mean when he writes “These young adult deviants do not become on their 18th birthday, rather they are systematically constructed as criminals and face the wrath of the penal state and criminalization as early as 8 years of age” (41). In what ways do you think this statement is true or false? Fully explain your answer. Rios discloses that Black and Latino youth have been labeled “deviant” (41). From his explanations, why are they labeled this way, and how does this label affect them? How do the problems they face in the job sector (Rios 42) account for how young Black and Latino males may view their future outcomes? Identify the reason/reasons that the 28 non-violent offenders were treated in similar ways to Tyrone and Jose: the two violent offenders (Rios 43). Explain what Jonathan Simon means by "crisis of ‘governance’" (43). Explain what Rios means by his statement that “the government had become an abusive step-parent figure” (43). According to him, what are the effects of this “abusive” relationship? What does Rios mean by "Multi-Spatial...
Words: 584 - Pages: 3
...Curbing Juvenile Delinquency Juvenile delinquency is defined by the law as youthful offenders (those 18 and under) who commit offenses that would be considered criminal if they were in front of the court as an adult (Siegel & Welsh, 2012). It has become more serious in the last fifty years or so. Crime and offenses mostly committed by the youth has been on the rise since the mid-twentieth century. It is an area that has received much media attention and has politicians worried. There are several different reasons that young people may turn to crime, including drugs, trouble at home, peer pressure, and gangs. There are several methods and strategies that can be implemented in order to curb juvenile delinquency. These strategies create a safe environment for both youths and the public. When the crime rates go down, everyone will feel safer. One strategy that can be used to curb juvenile delinquency is through education. Studies have shown that education can reduce the impact that peer pressure has on young people (Siegel & Welsh, 2012). Youths normally like to spend their time with their peers, rather than with their family, particularly parents or authority figures. Through education, though, teens learn to improve their behavior and thoughts; namely, they do not feel the need to be part of any particular group (Siegel & Welsh, 2012). Educational programs can teach young adults the importance of morals and civic consciousness. Civic-minded individuals will steer...
Words: 721 - Pages: 3
...legal way. Trying to understand why children kill has come to be a disturbing process. It seems that the youth of today have far more resources, and avenues to obtain a gun than the youth of the past. A study was conducted by Author Richard Tremblay, and some of his findings suggested that “Longitudinal studies of large samples of children from infancy to adulthood indicate that the peak age for physical aggression is between the end of the second and the end of the fourth year after birth. Fortunately, because of their size, physical aggression from two-year-olds does not constitute a major threat to the public in general.” (Richard Tremblay, 2007). Many youths have been subjected to harsh and in some cases life altering abuse as a young child. Being raised in a physical and mentally abused environment a child has raised the questions about just what type of affects this takes on the child(ren), and adults. There are so many factors that can contribute to why that a child is being abused. These problems can stem from poor living conditions, low income family, and...
Words: 1462 - Pages: 6
...Running head: FEMALE SEX 1 Female Sex Offenders FEMALE SEX 2 Without a doubt it is statistically proven that women commit fewer crimes as a whole than men. In 2010, there were one million five hundred thousand men incarcerated compare to the number of female offenders, which was one hundred thirteen thousand. When it comes to sex offenders we often think of the male gender than females. We see females as nonviolent nurtures rather than violent human beings who are capable of committing crimes of sexual nature. This false ideology is due to the lack of reporting of sexual offenses committed by females as well as clinicians and other agencies not recognizing the fact the term sexual offenders can be used for females as well as males. In the case study done by Stuckman-Johnson 28.5 percent of females reported to forcing men to partake in sexual intercourse and between the years of 1994 to 1998 there was a slight increase of seven percent that were reported. Of that 28 percent one to seven percent admitted to using physical force to restrain their victims, thirty-six percent admitted to getting their victims intoxicated before engaging in sexual acts, and another nine percent admitted to using a weapon. As of 2006, it was reported that female sex offenders that were convicted for rape made up for 3 percent of the population and other sexual offense were 5 percent of the population. Throughout the years researchers directed...
Words: 407 - Pages: 2
...Crime Causation and Diversion paper Crime causation and diversion paper In society today, there are a lot more juveniles involved in criminal activity. More juveniles Have low self esteem, poor decision-making, and hardly any communication skills. More teens are hanging out with a negative group of people, and a lot come from a dysfunctional family these re some of the characteristics of delinquent youth creations (Extension Journal, Inc. 1993). There are many different types of juvenile diversion, intervention and prevention programs and also resources for juvenile offenders to help with rehabilitation. These programs were created to deter juveniles from committing crimes and reduce the rate of juveniles recommitting crimes. Within this paper there will be two programs that will be discussed with in California, explain how the programs work, and their goals to reduce crime and increase rehabilitation rates. Also discussed will be there program objectives and beliefs of their programs and the key participates in both programs. Also discussed will be the services these programs provide for the youth as well as family. And lastly, the comparison of these programs will be discussed and identification will be made on which may be more effective at the reduction of juvenile crime and how that may be true. The first program is “City Hearts Program” Prosecutors, probation officers and judges who serve the Northeast Juvenile Justice Center are recommending City Hearts classes for...
Words: 1127 - Pages: 5
...people have different hobbies such as playing sports, hanging out with friends or even just surfing the web. Surfing the web is the most common hobby among young Americans. There are many things you can do on the web. Some of the more notable things that you can do on the web are watch videos, e-mail, research and social networking. Social networking sites are is more popular among children and teens. (C. Hansen, MSNBC). Social networking sites are mainly used for dating and chatting, with family and friends also with people you don’t know. One of the more common questions, asked by many parents are, “Is the social networking and chatting sites your using safe?” Many people believe that online chat rooms and social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, Tagged and Downlink are hunting grounds for many sex offenders and predators. The fact that you can meet sexual predators and sex offenders anywhere at any time of the day slips through people minds. A lot of children and teens interact with predators on websites due to the way that they conduct themselves in chat rooms, the people they socialize with and the amount of personal information that they put on the sites. Promoting online safety has become proiorty with recent explosive popularity of social networking websites. A quick word of advice for parents of young children or teena is to use parental guidance and keep locks on websites. The Internet has become a popular place for adolescents especially when they have...
Words: 2317 - Pages: 10
...cases recidivism has decreased with the proper assessment and treatment. Our country has an overzealous sex crime legislation dating back to the 1880s. In the United States there are three types of legislation dealing with sex crimes. The first was pre-World War II when offenders were subjected to indefinite institutionalization and sterilization. These policies were jointly influenced by the fields of sexology and eugenics (Ordover, 2003). Sexologists promoted the view that minor forms of sexual misbehavior would predict future sexual violence and homicide (Jenkins, 1998), whereas eugenicists promoted the view that criminal behavior was genetically determined (Ordover, 2003). Both of these fields developed the view that sexual offending was considered intractable, resistant to change and escalating, therefore, new legislation was established to enact extreme interventions by institutionalization offenders. In order to keep society safe from future exposure and danger from an offender’s offspring thus forced sterilization (Letourneau, 2013). This method has large economic costs to our government in funding for the physical care and procedure costs, which outweigh the benefits for this treatment. The offender and his family had to endure his physical and mental costs from the sterilization. Sterilization poses numerous...
Words: 2431 - Pages: 10
...Annotated Bibliography: What the Literature Says About Juvenile Sex Offenders The following articles, factsheets, and studies have been compiled to assist attorneys and individuals working on behalf of youth charged with sexual offending. The information contained in these resources aim to help others realize the fundamental differences between adult sex offenders and juvenile sex offenders, which include positive responses of juveniles to treatment, low recidivism rates of juveniles and negative impact of registries on youth development. It is our hope that this information will be used to improve legal outcomes for juvenile sex offenders, and uphold the purpose of the juvenile justice system as a rehabilitative, not punitive, system. PUBLICATIONS BY TOPIC Recidivism Rates/Amenability to Treatment Judith V. Becker, What We Know About the Characteristics and Treatment of Adolescents Who have Committed Sexual Offenses, 3 CHILD MALTREATMENT 317, (1998). The author states that comprehensive data does not exist to support the notion that if adolescents commit one sexual offense, they will go on to develop a pattern of sexual-offending behaviors or develop a psychosocial disorder. Michael F. Caldwell et al., An Examination of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act as Applied to Juveniles: Evaluating the Ability to Predict Sexual Recidivism, 14 PSYCHOLOGY, PUBLIC POLICY AND LAW 89, (2008). This study compared 91 juvenile males who had been treated in a secure correctional...
Words: 4199 - Pages: 17
...Children Sexually Abusing Children Paula Chipman COM/172 August 25, 2014 Charlotte Babb Children Sexually Abusing Children Parents not only have to worry about adult sexual predators, but also have to worry about adolescent social offenders-which is on the rise. The background has a lot to do with how a child turns out. The fact that both male and female juvenile sexual predators exist is horrifying by itself. The sexual behavior that leads to sexual abuse can start as young as six years old (Smith, B. 2007, September 19). The thought crosses the mind of all parents. How do they protect their child? Unless they plan on following their child everywhere they go, they can only teach them and watch for the signs of both child predators and their victims. Everyone has to wonder what could cause one child to abuse another child sexually, and if they even understand the consequences of their actions. What will happen to the juvenile offender, will they get off with therapy, or will they go to prison to pay for their crime? The younger offenders are getting therapy while the older predators are going to juvenile detention centers or even to prison. When a child relapses a second time, the child could be sent to a child detention center, jail, or a mental hospital for the safety of the public. Most people are not exactly sure what child on child sexual abuse consists of. The fact is that child on child sexual abuse is when a younger child is sexually abused by one or more...
Words: 1821 - Pages: 8
...Crime Causation and Diversion paper CJA/374 FEB-5-2013 LaJuana Haselrig Crime causation and diversion paper In society today there are much more juveniles involved in criminal activity. More juveniles Have low self esteem, poor decision-making, and hardly any communication skills. More teens are hanging out with a negative group of people, and a lot come from a dysfunctional family these are some of the characteristics of delinquent youth creations (Extension Journal, Inc. 1993). There are many different types of juvenile diversion, intervention, and prevention programs and also resources for juvenile offenders to help with rehabilitation. These programs were created to deter juveniles from committing crimes and reduce the rate of juveniles recommitting crimes. Within this paper there will be two programs that will be discussed with in California, explain how the programs work, and their goals to reduce crime and increase rehabilitation rates. Also discussed will be there program objectives and beliefs of their programs and the key participates in both programs. Also discussed will be the services these programs provide for the youth as well as family. Lastly, the comparison of these programs will be discussed and identification will be made on which may be more effective at the reduction of juvenile crime and how that may be true. The first program is “City Hearts Program”...
Words: 1124 - Pages: 5
