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Table of Contents
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Overview
Introduction
On April 1, 2003, the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) came into force, replacing the Young Offenders Act
(YOA). The YCJA builds on the strengths of the YOA and introduces significant reforms that address weaknesses in
the YOA. The YCJA provides the legislative framework for a fairer and more effective youth justice system. The tabling
of the bill followed an extensive period of review and consultation that included the production of a number of reports including:
- A Review of the Young Offenders Act and the Youth Justice System in Canada, report of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial
Task Force on Youth Justice (1996)
- Renewing Youth Justice, report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights (1997)
- A Strategy for the Renewal of Youth Justice, Department of Justice Canada (1998)
The Overview describes the background to the YCJA and the rationale for its main provisions, and provides a summary of those provisions. It covers the changes implemented by the YCJA, the principles and objectives of the Act and the direction it sets for the youth justice system. The Overview is organized under the following headings:
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