NCJ Number
134506
Editor(s)
A W Leschied,
P G Jaffe,
W Willis
Date Published
1991
Length
316 pages
Annotation
These 14 papers critically examine the implementation and impact of Canada's Young Offenders Act, which took effect in 1984 and has resulted in a shift in emphasis from treatment to justice and further suggests ways in which social service and mental health professionals can work with legal and justice professionals to improve the country's juvenile justice system.
Abstract
The discussions emphasize that the need to protect society should not be equated with harsh sentences or incarceration, that treatment and rehabilitation are still crucial objectives for juvenile justice, and that an effective juvenile justice system is one of the most effective crime prevention strategies. Individual papers analyze the theory on which the law and the juvenile justice system are based; explain the provisions of the law and their interpretation by the courts; and examine dispositions as indicators of conflicting social purposes under the Young Offenders Act and its predecessor, the Juvenile Delinquents Act. Further papers discuss the assessment of the needs of juvenile offenders, developmental issues related to antisocial adolescents, the assessment and treatment of mentally ill juvenile offenders, the needs of youthful offenders with learning disabilities, issues related to female juvenile delinquents, and possible future policy directions. Tables and chapter reference lists