NCJ Number
141074
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 35 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1993) Pages: 19-29
Date Published
1993
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Data from juvenile courts in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1982-82, 1984-86, and 1989-90 were compared to determine sentencing changes when the Young Offenders Act (YOA) replaced the Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA).
Abstract
The analysis focused on youths who committed offenses while under the ages of 16, using data largely from the dockets of the Provincial Court in downtown Toronto and two suburban Toronto courts. Findings revealed some differences in case characteristics during the three time periods, with the nature and number of charges forming the basis of the sentence becoming more serious in the most recent time period. Thus, the finding that more severe dispositions were handed down in the two later time periods may reflect changes in the nature of cases, changes in sentencing criteria, or both. Under the JDA, little if any relationship existed between the seriousness of the most serious charge and the severity of the sentence. In contrast, under the YOA, the relationship between the charge seriousness and the sentence severity was stronger. Findings suggested that juvenile court judges under the YOA had become more offense- oriented in their decisions about dispositions. Tables, notes, and 11 references