...The term “Youth Gang” has evolved to become a common term in the generation we live in. It is a term that is covered in most media outlets on an almost daily basis. In order to fully understand the weight of the influence of youth gangs in our communities, we must make an attempt to look at how various scholars define it. There seems to be no clear-cut definition for the term “youth gang” because different communities have their own perception on what they refer to as a “youth gang”. Various researchers agree that defining, recognizing and identifying youth gangs is perplexed by inappropriate labelling of youth social groups by outsiders (Mathews, 1993; Gordon, 2000; Church Council on Justice and Corrections, 1995). There is also insufficient...
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...Abstract In contemporary culture, an emphasis on a “tough on crime” criminal justice system has been a topic of debate amongst all citizens. In this paper, a comparison of statistical evidence and treatment rates will be discussed. The purpose is to stipulate evidence of declining crime rates, and alternative sanctions to the crime bill c-10. In addition, a consultation of rehabilitation methods and apprehension of why there is a disproportionality of Aboriginal people in the Criminal Justice System will be explored. The data discovered suggests that the legislation was enacted for political reasoning, without the consideration of underlying causes of criminal activity. Furthermore, rehabilitation treatments have shown to lower recidivism, and are used to stress the importance on investigating the root cause of criminal behaviour. Finally, the restorative justice model is adopted to promote the sense of moral wrong in the individual’s crime. A Retreat in the CJS 3 In recent years, the Canadian government has been working on implementing a stricter justice system. The omnibus crime bill C-10, was enacted in order to achieve this measure. The act consists of a concept in which includes harsher sentencing, mandatory minimums and a zero tolerance policy. This legislation attempts to put victims first, instead of defending the rights of offenders. What the government has failed to distinguish is that crime rates in Canada have been decreasing gradually over the past decade. In addition...
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...many issues surrounding the content of Bill C-10. This essay will examine issues that affect the criminal code and provide evidence that the Bill is not progressive for Canada to deal with crime and the judicial process. By looking at the issues such as mandatory minimum sentences and the proposition of the bill we will look at the challenges that will be faced and met. The bill also introduces eliminating conditional sentences and eliminates double credit for time already served as well as introduces changes to the Youth Criminal Justice Act to impose harsher sentences for young offenders. This essay will delve into information that will bring the various issues to light. Firstly an explanation of Bill C-10 will be provided to understand what changes will be made to the Criminal code and who it affects. The dissection of the Bill will open the dialogue for this essay for appropriating topical issues with the concept of progress in a manner that reflects the trouble that this Bill brings to Canadian society. Bill C-10 was introduced by the Minister of Justice on the 20th of September 2011. The Act includes the enactment of the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act and amendments to the State Immunity Act, the Criminal Code, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and other relevant legal documents (parl.gc.ca). Bill C-10 is also titled the Safe Streets and Communities...
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...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 decision under Youth Criminal Justice Act. Legislations...
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...Boys and Girls Clubs also conduct numerous regional programs. In Ottawa, they conducted a project focused on high-risk children aged 6-12 living in a social housing neighbourhood in Ottawa that provided sports and recreational opportunities and was successful for many years. In Scarborough, a program known as YELL provides employment and leadership training over the course of 40 weeks to older youth and young adults who did not earn a high school diploma. Boys and Girls Clubs of Niagara operate an emergency shelter for homeless and at risk youth, and nearly 70% were able to transition to stable housing over the course of a 22 month period. Finally, the Peace Builders program was offered at 23 Boys and Girls Clubs in Alberta with the goal of teaching youth peaceful, non-violent conflict resolution. Nearly 90% of...
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...Should Youths be treated as Adults in the Canadian Justice System? Varun Thapar Due Date: March 1, 2011 Mr. Roberts The Youth Justice System was originally created in 1908; and was brought about because the government considered facilitating the youth so they wouldn’t be given the same sentence as adults. This early incarnation of youth legislation was called the Juvenile Delinquents Act This act was for young offenders with a guiding philosophy that juveniles are not criminals but children who need direction. An offender was classified to be between the ages of 7-18 could be tried in this system. The accused does not have a right to a lawyer, hearings were closed; and the charter did not apply. Examples of sentencing options were light and included fines and placements in foster care home. In 1984, the Young Offenders Act was changed to the idea that youths are less responsible for crimes than adults. Some of the amendments of this new act were a narrower range of age, 12-17 year olds and the accused must be advised of right to a lawyer, the Charter rights apply, and the accused could be sentenced to open or closed custody, and could be sentenced to 5 years for murder. In 2002, harsher punishments were introduced to the Act along with a change of name to the, Youth Criminal Justice Act. The driving idea for this act is that tougher sentences prevent crimes but rehabilitation is vital. It has been is debated as to whether or not youth should be given the same sentences...
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...are not broad enough, the punishments offered are not resulting in the right message; the youth are not learning from their mistakes, and that results in them not being prepared for the future responsibility that awaits them in adulthood. At 12 years old, you could commit a crime at face at least some sort of punishment. But what if you are 10, 11, or younger? We need to have a way...
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...in preventing youth from joining gangs. One of the RCMP's five strategic priorities is to reduce youth involvement in crime, with current priority issues being bullying, youth radicalization, and drugs and alcohol. The goal of the RCMP is to support sustainable responses that are consistent with the Youth Criminal Justice Act while focusing on early intervention and youth engagement. The RCMP increases youth awareness through programs such as school based prevention initiatives, community engagement, youth consultation, and youth-police partnerships while also intervening with young offenders through extra-judicial measures and restorative justice approaches. Many schools in RCMP jurisdictions...
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...In every second of the day, there are people who commit sexual offences and they are those who blame the victim. Today in the democratic world of Canada, judges use rape myths to get perpetrators to be released by allowing them to live off easy without time in prison, or without the following punishments stated in the criminal code of Canada. There have been several occasions where the legal system let the accused get away with violations of the criminal code of Canada and therefore, it is evident through cases of sexual harassment, rape incidents, and sexual child abuse that involve children of ages 4-18 years-old. Although the government recognizes these offences, they treat these cases as if it is insignificant. Therefore, it will...
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...and judgment, impair memory, and result in mental health issues. Keeping marijuana illegal is very costly because over five hundred million dollars are used annually enforcing marijuana laws. Prohibition has failed because marijuana has become one of the biggest “cash crops” in Canada. These are some of the reasons the Canadian government wants to legalize marijuana. Marijuana should continue to stay illegal in Canada. Legalizing this drug will make our country a drug vacation destination and increased accessibility will...
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...Take care and God bless! Sincerely in warm regards, Question: What does the word ‘diversity’ mean to you? Large group session/personal reflection exercise Introduction This report contains the ideas, knowledge and insight that took place over a three and a half day session in Sackville, New Brunswick. The Youth For Diversity Project, aims to bring approximately 25 youth together in one arena to discuss, debate and create ideas and plans around the issue of diversity. Half of the session was spent looking at the individual and group definitions of diversity, with sessions that included both reflective and group exercises. Small groups were formed to further flesh out concepts around diversity—racism, ageism, sexual orientation, access to resources, etc.—to further understand the impact that diversity has had on us and those around us. To add to these sessions, four guest speakers were invited to address the group around particular issues that are present in our communities. The guest speaker topics ranged from immigration and refugee issues, queer youth issues, the Black Loyalists of New Brunswick and hate crimes which involve South-Asian and Muslim youth. The other half of the session was spent trying to understand and raise awareness to the participants about how each...
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...Canada is a great country and we have many good things here. There is also a huge void and as grade 9’s we need to get the message across to others - meaning no more racism, bullying, and gender equality. We need to have love, tolerance and respect for each other. We can make the choice to end these issues and make Canada even better! Racism has been going on forever! We need to stop hurting people just because of their color, heritage or beliefs. Immigrants are in constant fear of being the target of a hate crime. Global News reported that “The number of police-reported hate crimes targeting Muslim-Canadians more than doubled over a three-year period.” The hate crime rate across Canada is 3.7 per 100,000 people. Ontario has the highest...
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...John Howard Society is a non-profit organization with a network of offices located in eleven provinces across Canada. It strives to reduce crime, as well as build self-efficiency within the community. This organization provides a wide range of services which include rehabilitation and reintegration of released prisoners, and housing and programs for youth who are at risk of conflicting with the law; everything from employment to learning life skills. John Howard Society promotes the utilization of effective, fair, and humane responses to crime and its causes. Many people who have been incarcerated suffer from pre-existing condition, both external and internal, such as poverty or emotional disorders. John Howard Society recognizes that meaningful services and education are more effective at resolving barriers to success or reintegration. To achieve the mission of providing more humane, unbiased, and effective treatment of individuals, this...
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...THE BODY, MIND, RELATIONSHIPS AND THE ENVIRONMENT PART II GOVERNMENT, ORGANIZED CRIME AND THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES CRYSTAL METH AND ILLEGAL DRUG STRATEGIES IN CANADA FIRST NATIONS AND CRYTAL METH TREATMENT STRATEGIES PART III TALA TOOTOOSIS’ STORY CRYSTAL METH ON THE NAVAJO NATION CONCLUSIONS APPENDIX A 1 INTRODUCTION Crystal methamphetamine 1 use among people in some First Nations communities (both in Canada and the United States) has evolved into an issue that is requiring more and more attention. Indicative of this, in July of 2005, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in Canada passed a resolution specifically directed at this emerging issue. 2 As a result of this resolution, the AFN has identified the need for the development of a First Nations National Task Force on Crystal Meth to develop a Strategic Action Plan to Address the Emerging issue of Crystal Meth in First Nations Communities. Generally speaking, this paper provides basic information about crystal methamphetamine as well as information that is First Nations specific. The first part of the paper discusses: what crystal meth is; who is using it; how it used; how it is made and; how it affects the body, mind, relationships and the environment. In Part II, interactions between governments 3 (e.g.: health/drug strategies), large pharmaceutical companies and organized crime are examined (e.g.: production levels of amphetamines). The role that these entities...
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...not meet the needs of society. Our justice system is sentencing criminals very few years in prison for outrageous crimes. Criminals who are sent to prison are actually getting more violent because of the conditions of those prisons. In addition, society gets very upset when sexual offenders are given anonymity or when the most dangerous inmates are given the chance of parole. The Canadian system of punishment is typically going to court and if determined guilty by the court, a sentence will be given by the judge and jail time will follow depending on the severity of the crime. The Canadian system of punishment does not meet the needs of society because of how upset society gets when criminals are sentenced to very few years in prison for the most outrageous crimes (Cowie). “Judges are not supposed to levy the maximum penalty unless it is the worst example of that particular type of offence. While there is nothing to stop a judge from giving the maximum sentence for every offence, most judges fail to see the point of rendering a sentence that is inappropriate or that is destined to be overturned by the higher courts” (McCrimmon). This shows how flawed our Canadian system of punishment is because judges cannot give out deserved sentences that the public feels is right. They have poor judgement when it comes to handing out sentences based on severity of the crime. For example, a case on Dean Robert Zimmerman shows exactly how the public feels about our Canadian system of punishment...
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