Unit 1 – Chapter 2: Canada’s Justice System

& Youth Justice

Materials to help you study:
● Weebly & D2L
● Textbook
● Interactive Notebook
o Including Vocabulary, Notes, Worksheets, &
Reflections
Topics Covered:
● Fair & Equitable Justice
● The YCJA
● Citizen Participation
o Jury Duty
o Justice Advocacy Groups
● Aboriginal Justice

Questions to Guide Study:

1. What does it mean to have a Fair & Equitable Justice System?
governed by rules. apply to everyone, taking. into account individuals.
needs and circumstances.

2. What is the YCJA?

The Youth Criminal Justice Act
is fair and equitable; it uses a rehabilitative method that helps reintegrate youth
back into society as normal functioning citizens.

3. How does the YCJA attempt to deal with Youth Offenders?

4. How do youth and adult justice differ in Canada?
While youths have all of the legal rights of adults, certain rights are
given special protection in the youth justice system. Some of these
include the right to a lawyer, the right to privacy, and special
protections when a minor is arrested by the police.
5. What are the Objectives of the YCJA?
to protect the public by holding youth responsible through
measures just according to the seriousness of the offense and the
youth's responsibility level
● Prevent crime by addressing the circumstances underlying a young person’s
offending behaviors.
● Rehabilitate young person who commit offenses and reintegrate them into the
society
● Ensure that a young person is subject to meaningful consequences for his or her
offense in order to promote the long term protection of society
● The criminal justice system for young people must be separate from that of adults
and recognize their reduced level of maturity.

6. What does it mean to Rehabilitate & Reintegrate youth offenders?

Rehabilitation discusses problems that caused the youth to commit the
crime so that he or she does not commit the same crimes again in the future.
Reintegration deals with how the youth can fit back into his or her
community.
7. What factors determine consequences under the YCJA? What are meaningful
consequences?
● The seriousness of the offense. For example, a violent offense is
more serious than a non-violent offense.
● The history of the young person. Someone who’s been in trouble
before may face more serious consequences than a first-time offender.
● The attitude of the young person. A young person who takes
responsibility for their actions will face less serious consequences than
someone who does not.
● The circumstances of the young person. For example, a young
person’s actions may relate to substance abuse, or to a situation they
face at home or in their community. They may need support from a social
worker more than consequences from the justice system
8. What sort of sentences can youths face under the YCJA?
9. What is the role of a jury?
decide whether the accused has proven the accused's guilt beyond
a reasonable doubt.
10. What are Justice Advocacy Groups? Examples?
An advocacy group supports a political or social cause.
e.g Network for Public Education. National Children's Alliance.
11. How do Aboriginal communities approach youth justice? What are the Elder's
roles?
12. What are Sentencing Circles?
is an Indigenous conflict resolution listening court that works in
collaboration with community members and the criminal justice
system.
13. What is restorative Justice?
an approach to justice that seeks to repair harm by providing an
opportunity for those harmed and those who take responsibility for
the harm to communicate about and address their needs in the
aftermath of a crime.”