Youth Criminal Justice Act And Protest Law

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YCJA Essay By Sophia Kim 9V In February 2002, the House of Commons passed the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) and proclaimed law in April 2003. The law governs youths ages 12-17 although an adult sentence may be tried starting from the age of 14 if the crime is serious. The objectives of the YCJA are to encourage young persons to acknowledge and repair the harm caused to the victim/community and to respect the freedoms of young persons while ensuring meaningful consequences are given. Some citizens believe that the Act is not harsh enough on youths who commit crimes saying that they should be held responsible for their actions. Others believe that the Act is appropriate saying that youths do not fully understand the concepts of their…show more content…
However, it does not always work. There are no guarantees that the YCJA will successfully fix the problem and repair the bonds. When the offender says that he/she feels remorse about the crime, how do you know he/she is telling the truth? You cannot make someone feel apologetic for their actions. Neither can you make someone repair relationships with the victim. If a youth who committed a first degree murder received a sentence of 100 hours of community service, the youth will think that the crime is not serious so it will not be a problem if he/she does it again. Light sentences do not discourage crime; they encourage. The YCJA does not consistently convey meaningful judgement decisions for the punishment of an…show more content…
Thus, many people do not see the reason behind their course of wrong action. Why would someone do something they know is wrong? If it was an accident, should they not at least think about the effects that one accident can have? Indeed, a youth's mind is not yet fully developed. However, they should be able to do a simple thought process. "Think before you act." How many times has an average person heard that phrase in their life? Countless. Simply stated, youths should know better than what they are doing in society today. Yes, everyone makes mistakes; it is inevitable. On the other hand, it is common that once someone makes a mistake, that person becomes more cautious of his/her behaviours; conversely, youths are doing the opposite. The YCJA is too soft on youths who know full well the meaning of their
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