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Nature of crime among the youth
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It has been noted that research studies on public perception on young people in criminal activities are not many, those that have carried out such research studies suggest a public perception that criminal activities committed by the youth is on the rise (Munice, 2001). A Calgary survey of 350 residents on crime, for example, found that roughly 40 per cent of its respondents listed youth violence or youth gangs as the primary problem in the city (Collins, 1992). The annual CTV polls show a consistently increasing number of Canadians claiming young people behaviour in their neighbourhoods is getting worse: from 35 per cent in the early 1990 to 80 per cent in 1994 (McDonald, 1995). These surveys also reveal that 80 per cent of Canadians, up …show more content…
From the numerous research studies that have been carried out in the past, it can be said that there is a tendency for the people to overestimate level of young people with criminal offences, the number of youth, the proportion of crime committed by the youth, and the seriousness of youth crime (Nacro, 2006). Many literature have suggested that the public perception on youth crime is not always based on personal experiences and it has been suggested that public perceptions on youth crime tend to outstrip direct experience of young people crimes (Nayak, 2003). This phenomenon also means that external factors such as mainstream media and newspapers reporting have played a major role in shaping the public perception on youth crime (Newbury, 2008). According to Bateman (2006), there is no correlation between actual prevalence of youth offences and perception of youth behaviour (Nacro, 2006). For instance, people expect more negative perceptions in high-crime locations, as compared to areas where recorded crimes are low (Cohen, Rust and Steen, 2003). As no relationship is apparent, other factor rather than direct experience of young people crime may be responsible for contributing to a mismatch between the reality of such behaviour and public …show more content…
Main stream media coverage of cases and the frequent portrayal of the youth terrorising people would suggest that young people are becoming criminalised (Morrow, 2008). The image that is portrayed by young people out there appears to be under public perceptions and threat matter especially as policies and government agendas are shaped by the attitudes and concerns of the general public (Wilson et el, 2006). This review of literature on public perception on youth crime and young offenders attempts to establish the facts by asking the following two questions 1) has there been a change in the levels of youth crime in recent years? 2). Does the public’s perception of youth crime correspond with the actual levels of offending among the young people?
Research Methodology
A combination of qualitative and quantitative research study method was employed where a questionnaire was administered in a face-to face interview with selected participants (Schissel, 2007). A sample of 200 participants was targeted for the research study (Nacro, 2006). There was a 10 per cent to 20 per cent validation exercise to assure the integrity of the data/information that was gathered, and after completion, the questionnaires were edited for consistency and completeness before being processed (Winterdyk, 2000). The processed information was analysed by the following demographics:
• Age groups
Youth crime is a growing epidemic that affects most teenagers at one point in their life. There is no question in society to whether or not youths are committing crimes. It has been shown that since 1986 to 1998 violent crime committed by youth jumped approximately 120% (CITE). The most controversial debate in Canadian history would have to be about the Young Offenders Act (YOA). In 1982, Parliament passed the Young Offenders Act (YOA). Effective since 1984, the Young Offenders Act replaced the most recent version of the Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA). The Young Offenders Act’s purpose was to shift from a social welfare approach to making youth take responsibility for their actions. It also addressed concerns that the paternalistic treatment of children under the JDA did not conform to Canadian human rights legislation (Mapleleaf). It remained a heated debate until the new legislation passed the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Some thought a complete overhaul was needed, others thought minor changes would suffice, and still others felt that the Young Offenders Act was best left alone.
In all the analysis, the youth justice policy analyst has to judge the use of specific words and their interpretations conveyed and the interpretations captured by society and formalise a method which in all way tries to curb the spread of wrong interpretation. Moral panic, demonization, and politicisation are of invaluable use for the youth policy analyst as the interpretations of these words makes most of the difference in the way juvenile crime is viewed and accepted by society at large.
When thinking about youth crime do you envision a country with a high rate of young offenders, gang activity and re-offending? Or do you envision a country with a significant increase of young offenders either being successfully reintegrated into society, or helped by a community when seeking forgiveness for a minor offence that they have committed? Since the passing of Bill C-7 or the Youth Criminal Justice Act on February 4, 2002 by the House of Commons, many significant improvements have been made in Canada’s youth criminal justice system on how to handle and care for young offenders. Some of the reasons why Bill C-7 was passed in Canada was because the bill before it, Young Offenders Act, had many problems and suffered large amounts scrutiny by Canadian Citizens. It’s because of these reasons that Bill C-7 had been revised multiple times before being passed, having previously been called Bill C-68, March of 1999 and Bill C-3, in October 1999. With this all being said, many Canadian citizens are still left to ponder a question of if there is even significant improvement in our Youth Criminal justice system when comparing the Youth Criminal Justice Act to the Young Offenders Act? In my opinion, there are many significant improvements that have been made in the Youth Criminal Justice Act which have aided our justice system. By addressing the weaknesses of the Young Offenders Act, the Youth Criminal Justice Act has helped Canada improve in the field of youth criminal justice by implementing better Extrajudicial Measures, ensuring effective reintegration of a young person once released from custody and providing much more clarification on sentencing options.
Most young offenders get into trouble with the law only once. But the younger children are when they first break the law, the more likely they are to break the law again (Statistics Canada study, 2005). The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) attempts to acknowledge that different youth need different sentences within the justice system, while ensuring that it is fair and equitable for them. Many people, both in Canada, and around the world, believe that youth are not reprimanded harshly enough for the crimes they commit and that they are, in general, are able to squeeze through the justice system without punishment. Others, believe that the justice system does not treat youth fairly and punishes them without acknowledging that rehabilitation
Few social issues get as much media attention as youth crime. Statistics Canada reported a 3% increase in crimes committed by 12- to 17-yearolds between 2005 and 2006. In the last 15 years, the rate of violent crimes among young people has increased by 30% (Youth crime, 2008). From gangland-style killings in Vancouver to the senseless beating of an elderly woman in Hali-fax, Canadian cities are struggling with a wave of youth crime that was unimaginable a couple of decades ago. According to Statistics Canada, most Canadians believe that youth crime is on the rise and 77% believe that the sentencing of young offenders is too lenient (Youth crime, 2005). Many experts attribute the spike in youth crime to the increased number of street gangs - often the perpetrators of youth crime (Catalano and Hawkins, 1996). Research indicates that youth seek comfort from those who welcome them and reinforce their sense of belonging. Unfortunate-ly, some youth have no choice but to turn to street gangs in order to satisfy their need for approv-al, belonging and self-worth (Clark, 1992). Street gangs are not just issues in big cities. Over the last few decades, there has been an increase in the presence of street gangs in non-metropolitan and rural communities. For example, in 1960, there were 54 cities in the United States with a gang population. In 1995, there were street gangs in approximately 800 cities and towns across the United States (Swetnam and Pope, 2001). There is no consensus among experts on how to reduce youth crime. Criminal involvement usually starts before the age of 15, with first-time of-fences declining markedly once young people reach 20 years of age. Young people who become involved in criminal activities before the age of 14...
There is no doubt that youth justice practises have changed throughout the years, these changes have been made to adapt to the new challenges that present themselves today. Crime in general, but particularly youth crime is a consistent problem for society.
“Our youths now love luxury, they have bad manners, they have disrespect for authority, disrespect for older people…” Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates acknowledges the escalation of delinquency among youth in the early age’s .The rise of young offenders furthers the Canadian government to record juvenile offenders, in addition, devise an act to better control the epidemic of young delinquents. The topic of proposal is the effectiveness of the youth justice system in its response to crime. Firstly, in order to determine the effectiveness of the youth justice system, one must grasp the premise that is a delinquency, in particular a young delinquents. Under the Juvenile Delinquents Act, the first act imposed in regards to young offenders,
Serious crimes such as murder, burglary and rape have raised questions as to whether the young offenders should face severe punitive treatment or the normal punitive measures in juvenile courts. Many would prefer the juveniles given harsh punishment in order to discourage other young people from engaging in similar activities and to serve as a lesson to these particular offenders. However, results from previous studies indicate such punitive measures were neither successful nor morally acceptable. Instead, the solutions achieved have unfairly treated the youths and compromised the society status (Kristin, page 1).
We can see that justice is achieved when the punishment for the offender is equal to the crime he/she has committed. Therefore, a social balance is re-established and maintained within society. But, for young offenders these rules are to some extent thrown out the window.
Youth gangs in North American society are nothing new. When we turn on the news we often hear stories of misguided youth contributing to yet another gang related crime. Even though it is known that youth crimes are overrepresented in the media today, the subject of youth gang activity is quite a predicament to our society. Over the last few years, there has been a moral panic created by constant exposure to the media which portrays a great amount of youth crimes and violence. In Canada there are large urban cities with high proportions of young people, many of which live in poverty, that now have the issue of dealing with youth gangs and youth crimes. Toronto, British Columbia, and Ottawa are examples of Canadian cities that have youth gang problems. The implementation of the new Youth Criminal Justice Act (2002) has changed the way youth crimes are dealt with legally in Canada. It is one step in the right direction for dealing with the issue of youth offending. Although the new act is not perfect, it will provide a better sense of justice to society because it calls for greater punishment for youths who re-offend. Youth Gangs in Canada are a potentially serious problem that needs to be addressed and tactically prevented. If preventative measures are not taken, these large populated urban areas in Canada will have problems similar to those of some major American cities. This essay will analyze the youth gang problem in Canada. It will cover topics such as types of youth gangs, the seriousness of the problem, and the cause for the creation of youth gangs from a Social Disorganization theory perspective. It will also examine the effect of the Youth Criminal Justice Act on gang crime.
Youth and juvenile crime is a common and serious issue in current society, and people, especially parents and educators, are pretty worried about the trend of this problem. According to Bala and Roberts, around 17% of criminals were youths, compared to 8% of the Canadian population ranging from 12 to 18 years of age between 2003 and 2004 (2006, p37). As a big federal country, Canada has taken a series of actions since 1908. So far, there are three justice acts in the history of the Canadian juvenile justice system, the 1908 Juvenile Delinquents Act, the 1982 Young Offenders Act, and the 2003 Youth Criminal Justice Act. In Canada, the judicial system and the principles of these laws have been debated for a long time.
Working with youth is an essential factor to help them develop the basic essential skills and traits that are needed to begin and successfully live throughout adulthood. They are also a means of crime prevention. In order to evaluate how agencies provide assistance to youth and crime prevention strategies whilst working with youth, this paper will be focusing on the Brisbane Youth Service (BYS). A brief description of the agencies role, philosophy upon which the organisation bases its practices will be given. The paper will then continue to explain the relationship BYS has with crime prevention and the ways in which it practices these. Strengths and weaknesses of the BYS organisation will also be discussed, as well as research into youth crime statistics and prior research studies of youth crime. This will assist in explaining why the organisations role is essential within society and whether any improvements are needed to continue to provide positive support for youth.
The media today is often taken for granted; as people don’t realize the dominance the media source holds in the modern world. Through media sources such as newspaper, TV and social media crime could be easily spread through out the world within seconds. As a result of this, humans understanding of crime and crime control are largely relied upon the media as evidently most people will not be in those serious criminal situations. The media however takes advantage of this situation by exaggerating crime scenes and focusing on particular crimes to make the public fear. Particular groups in the media are stereotyped to an extent where the public foresees then as ‘dangerous’. As a consequence, a change in the public’s perception of crime has forced
Crime is omnipresent issue within society and is a constant source of concern among citizens. Youth crime in particular is of great apprehension, with statistics showing that the number of offences among young people is increasing. Crime Statistics Agency data obtained by Leader shows 25,636 offences were committed by people aged 18 and younger in the last 12 months with theft, assault and property damage the most common crimes (Heraldsun.com.au, 2018). Criminologists attempt to discover the underlying roots of crimes and the motivation behind the actions of offenders. A range of criminal theories have been established in which attempt to determine why individuals may be inclined to commit certain crimes.
Goldston, B (2013), ‘Unsafe, unjust and harmful to wider society’: Grounds for raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales’, Youth Justice, vol. 13, no. 2, 111-130.