NCJ Number
127017
Date Published
1990
Length
165 pages
Annotation
This source book discusses crime and crime prevention in Canada and explains how police, courts, and corrections operate.
Abstract
Criminal justice policies in Canada must be considered in relation to the two levels of government, federal and provincial. Although the federal government is responsible for enacting laws, provinces are generally responsible for administering justice and enforcing substantive criminal law. At the federal level, responsibilities relating to the criminal justice system are split between the Department of Justice and the Solicitor General. The Department of Justice establishes all government policies on the enactment of criminal law and procedures. The Solicitor General is responsible for police, conditional release, and Federal corrections. Correctional institutions are classified as youth custody facilities (institutions operated by provinces for young offenders), provincial adult institutions, and penitentiaries (Federal institutions for adult offenders). The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and about 40 departmental investigative agencies are responsible for enforcing Federal laws. Provincial and municipal police enforce Canada's Criminal Code, provincial statutes, and municipal bylaws. Primary topics in the source book deal with imprisonment, other penal sanctions, and alternative measures; national and international action against organized crime and terrorism; juvenile delinquency prevention and youth protection; and United Nations norms and guidelines on crime prevention and criminal justice. Resource centers in Canada and publications relevant to these topics and to urban crime, environmental crime, computer crime, money laundering, sentencing, AIDS in prison, domestic assault, the role of lawyers and prosecutors, the use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials, and victim assistance are listed.