SOCI-321 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Superior Court, Media Create, Young Offenders Act
18 Jun 2018
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SOCI 321 – Chapter 1
Historical Context for Youth Crime (YC) in Canada
3 distinct periods:
oPre-confederation: Children treated the same as adults
oVictorian Period
oPost Victorian Period
First penitentiary was in Kingston in 1853
oChildren incarcerated there with adults
oFirst parliamentary investigation around 1859
Sparked by the treatment of the time: an 11 year old boy being whipped
Public Perceptions
Media heavily influences public perceptions about what YC is
Human beings are hard-wired for stories
oThis is how we have always communicated
oStories appeal to us and effect us emotionally
The media floods us with stories
oActual statistics about the situation are over people's heads
Very political; Politics of YC are very important
oPassing laws to protect people who are afraid to try to make the problem disappear
o468 Mass shootings in 365 days in America in 2017
oLegislation applying to young people
Not much legislation differentiating youth from adults before 1900 (and pre-
confederation)
Rates of YC
Absolute numbers: higher than it used to be because there are more youths now
Per 100,000: YC is decreasing
Violent: YC is decreasing
Contrasting Positions
1.Tough on Crime
2.Child welfare-focused
Quebec has taken a different approach when it comes to youth crime
oVery focused on a child-welfare perspective
oNeed to figure out why they are misbehaving and respond to that, rather than just
punishing
oCrime rates in Quebec are considered much lower than anywhere else in Canada
Nunn Commission
oConducted by a judge of the Superior court in NS by a judge named Merlin Nunn, who
also served as ethics commissioner
o"Spiraling out of control"
2 of the 37 suggestions looked at the release of individuals who keep continuing
to commit crimes (systemic problems)
Didn't even address the systemic problems; just proposed legislation to handle
the problem
Who Commits Crime?
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Historical context for youth crime (yc) in canada. Pre-confederation: children treated the same as adults: victorian period o. First penitentiary was in kingston in 1853 o o. Sparked by the treatment of the time: an 11 year old boy being whipped. Media heavily influences public perceptions about what yc is. Human beings are hard-wired for stories o o. Stories appeal to us and effect us emotionally. The media floods us with stories: actual statistics about the situation are over people"s heads. Very political; politics of yc are very important o o o. Passing laws to protect people who are afraid to try to make the problem disappear. 468 mass shootings in 365 days in america in 2017. Not much legislation differentiating youth from adults before 1900 (and pre- confederation) Absolute numbers: higher than it used to be because there are more youths now.
