Youth Justice System

Course Code: CJS 150

Academic Year: 2024-2025

Students explore issues related to youth crime. The course focuses on the manner in which the youth justice system responds to youth crime in Canada and its impact. Students examine the available research on youth crime and the youth justice system in the context of the laws that govern it. Society's response to young offenders and the evolution of youth justice legislation in Canada are analyzed. Emphasis is on the use of custody and its impact on young offenders, the expanding use of community interventions, as well as the medias role in shaping our youth justice system. The course concludes with a look at "who are the youth who commit crime", the changes in youth crime and the various approaches of dealing with youth crime in Canada, including the trends, future approaches and interventions, including Restorative Justice, when dealing with youth crime and youth in conflict with the law.