| Abstract: | Reviews the book, The Young Offenders Act: A revolution in Canadian juvenile justice by Alan Leschied, Peter Jaffe, and Wayne Willis. The recent historical development of how we deal with young criminals in Canada is well covered in this book. For most of this century, the treatment of young offenders was governed by the Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA). A product of the reform movements of the end of the 19th century, this act was based on the rationale that young criminals were wayward children whose antisocial behaviour was a reaction to deprivation and neglect. Unfortunately, over the years the JDA became in operation often oppressive, with little attention to due process, and a smothering concern for the welfare of its clients that enmeshed them in a net from which they could not easily escape. The "solution" to these problems was the Young Offenders Act (YOA), implemented during the past decade. The central theme of the first seven chapters of the book--about half of the total--is how the old Welfare assumptions have been replaced by a Junior Justice model. As detailed therein, accused young offenders are now given legal safeguards equivalent to those afforded to adults, with the same rules of evidence, guarantees of defence lawyers and legal aid, and definite fixed sentences if convicted. As one might have expected, the "Revolution in Canadian Juvenile Justice" claimed by the book's subtitle is often much more profound at the level of legal philosophy than on the front lines where real decisions about kids' lives have to be made. Old problems have been replaced by new ones, for example the precipitous drop in the number of convicted youths in psychological treatment programs. Clearly, the roles of both lawyers and psychologists within the System have changed with the adoption of the YOA, and the balance of power has shifted away from treatment. However, as is clear after reading this book, working procedures under the new act are not all fixed by the legislation; rather, some procedures could probably be altered relatively easily. As well, some minor changes in the legislation might make the entire system much more amenable to treatment. The JDA evolved over time, and so will the YOA. This volume can serve as a good starting position for one to consider what the YOA can become and how it can be directed in its evolution, rather than decrying the very dubious value of what it replaced. It will certainly be of interest to psychologists and other professionals in the criminal justice field. It could also serve as a good introduction to criminal justice issues for other readers with interests in adolescent behaviour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
