NCJ Number
172524
Date Published
1996
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Between 1992 and 1996, the overall youth court caseload rate per 10,000 youths in Canada declined by 6.5 percent, the youth court property crime case rate decreased by 18.1 percent, and the violent crime case rate increased by 3.5 percent.
Abstract
In 1995-1996, youth courts processed 111,027 cases, a total that did not change from the previous year. Almost half of all youth court cases involved property crimes. In contrast, one in five cases involved violent crimes and half of these were minor assaults. Half of all youth court cases were dealt with in 2 months or less. Repeat offenders, defined as young people with at least 1 prior conviction, accounted for 4 of every 10 convictions. Two-thirds of cases heard in youth court resulted in a conviction. Probation was the most serious sentence ordered in 49 percent of all cases with convictions. Custody, both open and secure, was ordered for a third of all cases with convictions, and 75 percent of these cases had a sentence of 3 months or less. Methods used to conduct the Youth Court Survey of juveniles between 12 and 17 years of age are described. 12 tables and 10 figures