Why do we have a Youth Criminal Justice Act
meee223 @ Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:49 pm
Specifically, why do we have provisions in this act to prohibit the naming of youths accused and/or convicted of criminal acts if they are under 18 or if they committed the crimes while under age 18? Why did our politicians want this provision? Why does it exist? I don't understand. If someone 16 or 17 commits a serious offence, robbery and murder, then why should we not know who they are? They don't deserve any protection from being identified. I'm sure you're all aware of the two girls who were convicted of murdering their mother by drowning her in the bathtub, yet we can never know their identities even though they are now adults. Why the heck not? And currently, a 17 yr. old girl is being tried in the stabbing murder of a 14 year old girl last new year's day and we are not permitted to know her name. This is ridiculous! On the other hand, in the U.S., when some teen girls were arrested in pummeling a girl and having it videotaped, their arraignments appeared all over the U.S. news and on the internet, including their names and faces, even though some are only 15 yrs. old. In the U.S. it's ok to know who these teen criminals are but in Canada, it's not. What is our lawmakers excuse here? What is their justification in having this idiotic law?
Yogi @ Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:55 pm
It's quite simple really. To publish or make known their names or pics would cause undue humiliation and embarrasment to the little darlings, thereby hindering their rehabilitation goals of returning to society!!!
meee223 @ Tue Mar 03, 2009 11:01 pm
Yogi Yogi:
It's quite simple really. To publish or make known their names or pics would cause undue humiliation and embarrasment to the little darlings, thereby hindering their rehabilitation goals of returning to society!!!
So what? They deserve the same treatment as adults. I say get rid of this stupid law. There is no excuse for it to exist! Dumb lawmakers..it makes Canada look stupid.
Yogi @ Tue Mar 03, 2009 11:56 pm
Spare the rod, spoil the child!
If it were up to me, we would bring the strap back, have canings in the parking lots, and firing squads, stocks, and hangings in the public square as entertainment.
martin14 @ Wed Mar 04, 2009 12:31 am
Yogi Yogi:
Spare the rod, spoil the child!
If it were up to me, we would bring the strap back, have canings in the parking lots, and firing squads, stocks, and hangings in the public square as entertainment.
If it were up to me, we would bring the strap back, have canings in the parking lots, and firing squads, stocks, and hangings in the public square as entertainment.
I like Yogi's world, I'll sell tickets for front row seats
xerxes @ Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:02 am
The reason we the YCJA is becuase teenagers think in different terms than adults do. By and large, teens (especially younger teens) are very narcississtic. And while that may fall under the category of "well, duh", it nevertheless results in different thinking patterns that lean some teens to commit crimes they might otherwise not have committed were they, say, 10 years older.
Also, teens mature at wildly different rates. I've met some really thoughtful and mature 15 year olds and some really immature 24 year olds which is why there are provisions for trying young offenders in adult court.
But if you really want someone to blame, blame the Victorians who first gave society the distinction of adolescence seperate from childhood and adulthood.
Axeman @ Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:07 am
meee223 meee223:
So what? They deserve the same treatment as adults. I say get rid of this stupid law. There is no excuse for it to exist! Dumb lawmakers..it makes Canada look stupid.
The majority of kids that are charged are dumb kids that made a mistake and deserve a chance to do right. Did you ever fuck up when you were a kid? The JCJA also makes penalties for violent crimes much more severe than the old Young Offenders' Act, recognizing that we want to emphasize punishment for violence and rehabilitation for non-violent youth offenders. IMHO, you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
Ripcat @ Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:19 am
Well, being an adult myself and knowing teenagers I can safely say that they are NOT adults...
It is time to remove the kid gloves though...
Axeman @ Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:23 am
Ripcat Ripcat:
Well, being an adult myself and knowing teenagers I can safely say that they are NOT adults...
It is time to remove the kid gloves though...
It is time to remove the kid gloves though...
Which was exactly the purpose of replacing the Young Offenders' Act with the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
meee223 @ Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:34 am
Axeman Axeman:
meee223 meee223:
So what? They deserve the same treatment as adults. I say get rid of this stupid law. There is no excuse for it to exist! Dumb lawmakers..it makes Canada look stupid.
The majority of kids that are charged are dumb kids that made a mistake and deserve a chance to do right.
Not if they commit murders or violent robberies. There is NO EXCUSE for this, no matter if they are teenagers. Murder is murder, and not only should they do the time for these crimes, we should know who they are. There simply is no excuse for protecting their identities. If this provision stays on the books much longer, we have to do something to kick some of these politicians out of office because they have no business being there. The way some of these politicians think is very scary and shameful. If a world power like the U.S. thinks it's all right to publish names and faces of teens for doing a lot less, then as far as I'm concerned that's the right thing to do. I was a teenager once, and believe me, teens know that murder is wrong, just as much as adults do. If you think differently, then I am very, very afraid of the people running our country. If teens don't realize that killing is wrong, get them out of our homes and put them into institutions, because they are mentally unstable.
llama66 @ Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:50 am
there has always been separate law regarding laws for minors, before the YJA there was the YOA, then before that there was the JDA. Children and Teens are treated differently because they might not know what they are doing is wrong. I know today most know to take a life is wrong, to rob is wrong. but Children and Teens can be easily led, easily coaxed into committing crimes. so we are more lenient on them. What institutions shall we put them into? Mental Health in Canada has been neglected for years. and not know right and wrong is not really a sign of mental instability, it could be more the product of the breakdown of the nuclear family, no parent to teach morals or concepts of right and wrong to children at a young age. Children (and Teens) need supervision, parents today can't give that as they are all caught up in their careers, so kids go out and do shit. and I ask you not compare Canada to the United States.
meee223- how old are you?
Axeman @ Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:04 am
meee223 meee223:
I was a teenager once, and believe me, teens know that murder is wrong, just as much as adults do. If you think differently, then I am very, very afraid of the people running our country. If teens don't realize that killing is wrong, get them out of our homes and put them into institutions, because they are mentally unstable.
You SHOULD be afraid of those running the country, but I am not part of that group. The YCJA was specifically enacted to address your concerns. What does it matter if you know their names as long as they get appropriate punishment and rehabilitation?
Freakinoldguy @ Wed Mar 04, 2009 4:40 pm
While I vehemently disagreed with the YOA, I still find myself disagreeing with they YCJA. Although it's an improvement over the previous acts it still doesn't go far enough.
The crimes people are talking about here are aren't breaking curfew, they're violent acts or acts of property damage that result in huge costs to the community. By not naming these little assholes, like it or not, it jeopardizes the safety and security of our communities.
Name the little shits. If it embarrases them, to freakin bad, they shouldn't have done what they did in the first place and this is actually likely to have a positive effect on their rehabilitation, given the fact that they'll never want to be put in this position again.
And while I don't agree with major corporal punishment for children, nor the stupidity of things like a Dr. Phil timeout, a good slap on the ass when they're young usually gets their attention and let's them know they aren't in charge which carries over to their later life.
So the real key to this problem is giving the "parents" back the rights to be parents and discipline their children. For to long we've been a nannny state with these kids failing to get proper direction or guidance, which has led to a breakdown in society not unlike a Lord of the Flies scenario on a country wide scale.
bootlegga @ Wed Mar 04, 2009 4:52 pm
Yogi Yogi:
Spare the rod, spoil the child!
If it were up to me, we would bring the strap back, have canings in the parking lots, and firing squads, stocks, and hangings in the public square as entertainment.
If it were up to me, we would bring the strap back, have canings in the parking lots, and firing squads, stocks, and hangings in the public square as entertainment.
Thanks but no thanks. If you want to live in a society like that, feel free to move to Iran...
llama66 @ Wed Mar 04, 2009 5:02 pm
Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:
While I vehemently disagreed with the YOA, I still find myself disagreeing with they YCJA. Although it's an improvement over the previous acts it still doesn't go far enough.
The crimes people are talking about here are aren't breaking curfew, they're violent acts or acts of property damage that result in huge costs to the community. By not naming these little assholes, like it or not, it jeopardizes the safety and security of our communities.
Name the little shits. If it embarrases them, to freakin bad, they shouldn't have done what they did in the first place and this is actually likely to have a positive effect on their rehabilitation, given the fact that they'll never want to be put in this position again.
And while I don't agree with major corporal punishment for children, nor the stupidity of things like a Dr. Phil timeout, a good slap on the ass when they're young usually gets their attention and let's them know they aren't in charge which carries over to their later life.
So the real key to this problem is giving the "parents" back the rights to be parents and discipline their children. For to long we've been a nannny state with these kids failing to get proper direction or guidance, which has led to a breakdown in society not unlike a Lord of the Flies scenario on a country wide scale.
The crimes people are talking about here are aren't breaking curfew, they're violent acts or acts of property damage that result in huge costs to the community. By not naming these little assholes, like it or not, it jeopardizes the safety and security of our communities.
Name the little shits. If it embarrases them, to freakin bad, they shouldn't have done what they did in the first place and this is actually likely to have a positive effect on their rehabilitation, given the fact that they'll never want to be put in this position again.
And while I don't agree with major corporal punishment for children, nor the stupidity of things like a Dr. Phil timeout, a good slap on the ass when they're young usually gets their attention and let's them know they aren't in charge which carries over to their later life.
So the real key to this problem is giving the "parents" back the rights to be parents and discipline their children. For to long we've been a nannny state with these kids failing to get proper direction or guidance, which has led to a breakdown in society not unlike a Lord of the Flies scenario on a country wide scale.
I agree, parents should have the right to discipline their children. A swat in the ass never really hurt anyone (except their ego) perhaps we should revive the JDA...