Ycja Pros And Cons

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The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) applies to young people who are 12-17 years old. This Act was put into law on April 1, 2003, replacing the existing law known as the Young Offenders Act (YOA). The YCJA is there to help youth rehabilitate and reintegrate into society. When a person is 18 years old the YCJA does not apply to him/her anymore, instead the Criminal Code of Canada takes precedence. The parts of the YCJA that I find are based on fair regulations include the sentencing structure and the section about concealing offender’s identity. The one main topic that I do not find fair and equitable is the criminal record that stains an offender's reputation forever, only if their sentenced as an adult. I believe that the YCJA is fair and equitable in its rules…show more content…
I strongly agree with the protection of children’s identity. Publishing a young offender's name can cause serious harm to a young person’s future, making reintegration into the community more difficult than it already may be. The main purpose and reasoning behind this law in the YCJA is that publication of a young person's name could impede rehabilitation efforts, detrimentally affecting the young person and, in the long run, compromising public safety. However, there are some exceptions where youth identities may be published. When found guilty of a crime that receives an adult sentence, the name of the offender is published in the media because the offender is tried as an adult. I also agree with this exception to the law because offences that are considered punishable under the Criminal Code of Canada should follow the same guidelines and procedures. Overall, since reintegration plays a huge role in youth criminals lives, I agree with and find fair the law against publishing names, and also agree with the exception placed on adult crimes committed by

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