Sensible or Senseless

Alexandra Soriano The Justice system in Canada strives to be fair. The problem to be addressed is whether or not the Youth Criminal Justice Act is unbiased and equitable. In other words, is youth crime being reduced in Canada? Some say that the act protects youth from the media, keeps youth from jail and considers the background and history of the young offender. Others however, debate that the consequences arent harsh enough, that youths get away too easily and that the community may be vulnerable. The YCJA is fair and equitable for youths in Canada because it provides meaningful consequences; no criminal record is given, and focuses on rehabilitation. Most of the time, young offenders dont learn from their mistakes. This is why meaningful consequences comes in the picture. Firstly, because of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, juveniles are treated otherwise from adults. Youths think differently from adults thus saying that they should be treated differently as well. If youths have meaningful punishments, they would think twice the next time they try to commit a crime. In addition, the consequences are different from case to case. This means that the punishment is customized depending on the crime. Therefore, meaningful consequences make sure that the young offender gets his/her lesson learned. Rehabilitation and reintegration are both factors that makes the YCJA fair and equitable; not just to the young offender, but also to the community. First, without rehabilitation, the juvenile delinquents attitude and sense of reason will be the same as the time they committed the crime. Rehabilitation will employ the young offender to have a positive behavior. Moreover, reintegration makes sure the youth merge back into society with a better attitude and a more

improved view of the world. The community benefits from this because it guarantees the safety of their family. So in conclusion, the YCJA makes it fair not only to the young offenders but also to society. Juvenile delinquents tend to not think before they act. They do inappropriate things without thinking about their futurehow it will affect them. Because a criminal record is a permanent document, it will keep them from getting a job in the future and possibly have a bias opinion from the community. To begin, having no criminal record will give youths a chance to get a job. A career is what most people consider the guide to life; and without that guide, they will most likely get lost in life. Secondly, juvenile delinquents will be able to travel. It is understandable that the countryor placewants nothing to do with a young offender possibly endangering their home. The Youth Criminal Justice Act ensures that one careless mistake done by the offender will not have a negative effect on their freedom. As a result, the YCJA makes sure that youths will rather have a good and positive effect on their livesgiving youths the rightful justice they deserve. Without a doubt, the YCJA makes it fair and equitable to youths in Canada. The act provides influential punishments, prevent youths from having a permanent document that will result a bias from society and also focuses on implementing positive behavior. Because of the Judicial branch of Canada, millions of citizens have . Undeniably, the Youth Criminal Justice Act not only plays a huge role in reducing youth crime but also continues to bring justice and second chances to every youth in Canada.