Is the youth justice system effective Free Essay Example, 1500 words

It is also rather necessary to consider, more than using the justice system to address issues of youth crimes, to know about youth crimes, what its main constituents are, and how youth crimes affect the general levels of crime in this country. During 1997, a select group of respondents in Ontario were asked to identify the best method of â€Å"controlling crime† in this country. (Doob & Cesaroni, 2004, p. 4). The test confirmed that action, in terms of increasing social programs, rather than sentencing could be the best solutions. The main aspect that needs to be considered is that most people think that the justice system needs to take care of youth crimes. However, while there are schools of thought who believe that putting the young offenders in prison, treating them as adults would not really serve the purpose, and it is also necessary to consider softer options. Inflicting strong and harsh punishment on young people could have negative effects, including the hardening of attitudes towards society that may not be the right solutions to their ills. It is necessary to consider what is best for these section of society, the youth. We will write a custom essay sample on Is the youth justice system effective or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Except for crimes of a capital nature, like rape, murders or major felony, it is believed that they need to be treated and punished separately from adults. It is not only a question of the tender age of the criminals, it is also one of understanding the motives behind juvenile and youth crimes- economic, social or even the result of experiences at home or at the place of learning. It is seen that youth are in the losing end of both worlds if consigned to adult courts and sentencing. For one thing, they may be deprived of the understanding and care which their age demands, and for another, they are treated as adult criminals although they are not adults, both in physical and intellectual terms. However, it is also necessary to consider that most people in Canada believed that present mode of punishment are too lenient and does not really bring about effective results for the young offenders. The Young Offenders Act has given place to the Youth Criminal Justice Act during 2003. The legislative aspect of justice delivery system seems to be loaded in favor of delinquents. For instance, YCJA states that the main objectives of â€Å"The youth criminal justice system is to prevent crime by addressing the circumstances underlying a young persons offending behavior, rehabilitate young persons who commit offences and reintegrate them back into society, and ensure that a young person is subject to meaningful consequences for his or her offences, in order to promote the long-term protection of the public. " (Youth criminal justice act, 2006, para. 5).