Teaching Youth Justice

Sometimes, police discretion or extrajudicial measures are not enough to address a crime. As discussedin Section 2, there are certain circumstances where young persons will be detained by the police and charged with a crime. If the Crown determines that charges should be pursued, youth will likely find themselves in Youth Justice Court.

This section explores what happens in Youth Justice Court and how a sentence will be carried out ifa young person is convicted of a crime. It begins by introducing Youth Justice Court’s personnel and procedures (Lesson 3.1). From there, it explores court procedures in more detail by explaining court appearances (Lesson 3.2), and considers why publication bans usually apply to Youth Justice Court (Lesson 3.3).

If a young person is determined to be guilty of a crime, there are many options available to the Youth Justice Court. Options for sentences—including probation and adult sentences—are considered (Lessons 3.4 to 3.6), then a discussion of how custody, supervision, and reintegration will play out is put forth (Lesson 3.7). As a summary activity that envelops the knowledge gained about the principles of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, a discussion of Conferences closes this resource to provide understandings of how the community can play a role in youth justice (Lesson 3.8).