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criminalization of youth. The Criminalization of Youth The headlines are horrific.
The statistics are alarming. Albertans believe their communities are unsafe. ...
... This criminalization of the youth takes us back to Victorian England when poor and
mentally-disturbed youths were dumped in warehouses, terrorized and beaten. ...
... are many non-profit organizations dedicated to Marijuana reform and de-criminalization. ...
Rather, by involving the American youth (the DARE generation) in the ...
... the past and see factors leading to the outlawing and criminalization of marijuana ...
A recent report by the Building Blocks for Youth Initiative found that black ...
... the past and see factors leading to the outlawing and criminalization of marijuana ...
A recent report by the Building Blocks for Youth Initiative found that black ...
Submitted by millzy on April 6, 2008
Category: Social Issues
Words: 1811 | Pages: 8
Views: 98
Popularity Rank: 90,910
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The Criminalization of Youth
The headlines are horrific. The statistics are alarming. Albertans believe their communities are unsafe. Youth crime seems out of control. In placeCityLethbridge, a 12-year-old girl was recently convicted of murdering her parents and 8-year-old brother. By age eighteen, 25% of boys born in 1987 had committed a criminal offence (Carrington 57). In StateAlberta last year, youth violent crime increased 6% (Forsyth 21), and placeStateAlberta’s rate of violent victimization is the country’s highest (Forsyth 16). Gang violence is escalating and gangs are recruiting younger and younger persons. 50% of youth charged are visible minorities and recent immigrants. (Interview November 21, 2007). The cost of crime in placeStateAlberta is $5 billion annually (Forsyth 6). Does the root of the problem lie within the family unit and peer structure, with substance abuse or with lack of community support? Is the answer simply found by providing more social and community counseling and treatment programs, or should we simply jail all young offenders for longer and longer periods of time so they get the message and stop offending?
Jailing most young offenders is the wrong thing to do, as 41% of teen offenders end their criminal careers before the age of 18, and 80% of teen offenders only commit one crime. In fact, 10% of young offenders commit 46% of all teen crime (Carrington, 59). By the age of 15 for girls and 16 for boys, most teens have peaked in their crime participation (Carrington 57). Judge Prowse-O’Ferrall, a youth court judge in Calgary for 17 years, gives important insight when she observes that due to police and community diversion programs, a significant number of less serious offences (such as mischief, shoplifting and possession of stolen property) are dealt with by Alternative Measures and never get to court. Most of those diverted never re-offend. Most often, those more serious matters such as...
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