NCJ Number
148273
Date Published
1993
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This article outlines some of the major impediments to an optimal implementation of the Young Offenders Act (YOA) in Ontario; explores the interrelationships between these impediments suggesting alternative directions in policy and programs; and examines an existing program to provide a model for services and suggest possible new directions for efforts in Ontario's juvenile justice system.
Abstract
The article notes the absence of uniform policy and effective service provision which underscores the fundamental chaos that has resulted from Ontario's piecemeal and reluctant phasing in of the YOA. The authors suggest revamping the system, including the following steps: (1) Stop regarding corrections as a system separate and immune from other co-existing paradigms including mental health, education, medical and social services; (2) Create a central independent body similar to the Ombudsmen's Office to develop coordinated approaches; and (3) Scale down custodial facilities and facilitate parallel growth in community based alternatives. A broader, macrosocial and collaborative concept of child and youth justice will invariably result in a less retributive and more properly corrective system. References