NCJ Number
103100
Date Published
1987
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This document summarizes a historical overview of changes in Quebec's juvenile justice system from 1960 to 1985 that finds a growing degree of intervention by juvenile courts, despite attention given to children's rights and diversion.
Abstract
Many juvenile cases were heard by the Magistrate's Court in 1960, the climate was informal, and disposition was rapid. Under the old child protection laws, the court was the center for child protection. The latest Child Protection Law which took effect in 1979 has two key aspects: the social services center replaces the court as the point of entry into the child protection system, and the rights of children are reinforced. A review of changes in Quebec's laws governing juvenile offenders addresses the spirit of the law, the rights of youth, and judiciary diversion techniques. In this evolution, the protection of society rather than the good of youth became a priority, many adult due process rights were extended to minors, and a formal, complex diversion system emerged. Two distinct systems, protection and punishment, reappeared stemming from the Child Protection Law and the Youth Offenders Law. Statistical data reveal that after 1981 the court's use of probation and placements in juvenile homes took the lead over nonsupervisory measures. This emphasis on supervision is exactly the reverse of the preceding period where unsupervised measures were employed most frequently. A system that aimed to reduce official social control over juveniles has actually increased its scope. Graphs. For the complete in French, see NCJ-103685.