РефератыИностранный языкYoYoung Offenders Act Essay Research Paper The

Young Offenders Act Essay Research Paper The

Young Offenders Act Essay, Research Paper


The Young Offenders Act


This essay was written to show the advantages and


disadvantages of the Young Offenders Act over the previous Juvenile


Delinquents Act. Also it should give a theoretical understanding of


the current Canadian Juvenile-Justice system, the act and it’s


implications and the effects of the young offenders needs and mental


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 person. Alan W. Leshied says “On one hand


the justice and legal 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 have been in dispute since the act came into effect.


The old Juvenile delinquency act states in section 38 “The care and


custody and discipline of a juvenile delinquent 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 assistance.”(Page 72)


If a youth 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. Many 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 expensive and


unsatisfactory 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 wishes 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 assistance 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.”


To establish a relationship between the young offender and the


lawyer, thew lawyer must be able to receive instructions from his/her


client. Usually there is little difficulty either receiving or


carrieing out the instructions of his/her client. Special problems


can arise when the client is a young person.


The problems faced by this, is the young person may not be


able to communicate with counsel. While the lawyer and young person


need not a specific statement for the client as to a preferred outcome


it should take form of a general expression of the client’s feelings


or attitudes in the major issues of the precedings the young person


must be able to make decisions that may hold significant


repercussions.


Mental health of the young offender can also be a problem.


Currently this issue is not addressed in the Young Offenders Act,


before the mental health act can be enacted, extremely dangerous


behaviour must be displayed. Before the age of 16 they are sometimes


placed in hospitals for a short time under the authority of the legal


guardians.

Сохранить в соц. сетях:
Обсуждение:
comments powered by Disqus

Название реферата: Young Offenders Act Essay Research Paper The

Слов:638
Символов:4175
Размер:8.15 Кб.