OTTAWA, April 1, 2003 - Canada's new Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) is in effect as of today, April 1, 2003. The legislation replaces the Young Offenders Act and applies to young people between 12 and 17 years of age.

"With the introduction of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Government of Canada has fulfilled a commitment to provide the legislative framework for a more fair and effective youth justice system," said Canada's Justice Minister, the Honourable Martin Cauchon. "Canadians can have confidence that the new legislation will hold youth accountable in proportion to the seriousness of their crimes, while providing meaningful consequences and focusing on rehabilitating and reintegrating youth into their communities."

Among other things, the YCJA promotes extrajudicial measures to deal effectively with the vast majority of less serious youth crimes. It also encourages community-based sentences to lower Canada's rate of youth incarceration, the highest among Western countries. At the same time, the range of sentences available for the most serious youth crimes has been expanded to give the justice system more options and flexibility.

The YCJA is the cornerstone of Government of Canada's comprehensive Youth Justice Renewal Initiative, begun in 1998. The initiative goes beyond the youth justice system to explore how society as a whole can address youth crime and its associated factors. It is based on three key directions: prevention, meaningful consequences, and intensified rehabilitation and reintegration to help youth return to their communities.

The YCJA received Royal Assent on February 19, 2002. Provinces and territories have been working with partners since then to prepare their work forces and develop programs to support its effective implementation. Up to $950 million has been set aside over the five years ending in fiscal year 2004-05 to assist provinces and territories with the implementation.

Ref:

Mark Feldbauer
Senior Communications Advisor
(613) 954-3431