Crime Increases in Canada

Term Paper # 103035

Criminology > Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminology > Juvenile Justice
Law > Criminal

An analysis of increases in youth crime in Canada and the implementation of the Young Offenders Act (YOA).

3,091 words () | 4 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the implementation of the Young Offenders Act (YOA), that was enacted in order to attempt to reduce youth crime in Canada. The paper analyzes research that discusses the reasons why youth crime fell each year from 1991 until 1996 and the fact that apprehension and charging rates over time tended to be due to legislative changes rather than actual changes in criminal behavior.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Crime in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s: The Young Offenders Act
Youth Crime in Canada Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act
Comparison with "Other" Crime: Workplace Violence
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Overall, the findings indicate that in terms of youth crime in Canada, changes in apprehension and charging rates over time tend to be due to legislative changes rather than actual changes in criminal behavior. Recent results indicate that in the last few years, increases in chargeable youth rates were probably owing to technical reporting factors rather than changed police charging practices. Regarding another form of crime, workplace violence has decreased in Canada over the years in every sector apart from the health care, welfare and community service industries, which experienced marked increases. Reasons behind these changes are probably social and political in nature. Heightened scores in some provinces were found to be probably related to the fact that there are a greater proportion of residents in these areas working in high risk sectors for workplace violence."

Sample of Sources Used:

Boyd, N. (1995). Violence in the Workplace in British Columbia: A Preliminary Investigation. Canadian Journal of Criminology, October, 491-519.
Carrington, P. J. (1999). Trends in Youth Crime in Canada, 1977-1996. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 41(1), 1-32.
Carrington, P. J. & Schulenberg, J. L. (2005). The Impact of the Youth Criminal Justice Act on Police Charging Practices with Young Persons: A Preliminary Statistical Assessment. Report to The Department of Justice Canada. Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada, 1-45.
de Leseleuc, S. (2004). Criminal Victimization in the Workplace. Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. Statistics Canada. Retrieved March 27, 2007 from http://www.statcan.ca/english/research/85F0033MIE/85F0033MIE2007013.pdf.