The Young Offenders Act :: Free Essay Writer

The new Offenders ActThis essay was written to show the advant matures and disadvantages of the Young Offenders Act over the previous Juvenile Delinquents Act. Also it should give a theoretical underezding of the current Canadian Juvenile-Justice system, the act and its implications and the effects of the young offenders needs and psychological health on the outcome of the trials. In the interest of society the young offenders act was brought forth on april second 1984. This act was created to ensure the rights and the needs of a young someone. Alan W. Leshied says "On one deliberate the justice and jural objectives of the act are being effectively realized while on the other hand the needs and treatment aspects of it leave much to be desired." The research of the Young offenders act is still ongoing but Leshied says that it is becoming clear that the custody positions piddle been in dispute since the act came into effect. The old Juvenile delinquency act states in sec tion 38 "The care and custody and discipline of a novel decrepit shall approximate as nearly as maybe that which should be given by his parents, and... as far as practability every juvenile delinquent shall be treated, not as a criminal, but as a misguided and misdirected child . . . needing aid, encouragement, help and assiezce."(Page 72)If a juvenility is close to the adult age of 18 years they could be transfered to the adult justice system. This means that they would be given the same sentences as an adult including and up to life in prison. legion(predicate) people have tried to correct this problem that they see as a weakness. Yet, so far their attempts have failed. Another weakness they find, is that the courts are big-ticket(prenominal) andunsatisfactory methods of dealing with crime that is not very serious.Before the fabrication of legal aid most young offenders were not able to obtain legal services. "Subsection 11 (4) provides that, were a young person w ishes to obtain counsel but is not able to do so, the youth-court judge shall refer the young person to the provincial legal-aid, or assiezce program. If no such program is available or the young person is unable to obtain counsel through an available program, the youth court judge may, and on the request of the young person shall direct the young person to be represented by counsel.