Tuesday, Sep 23, 2008
The National Post
Harper pitches two-tier youth justice plan
The National Post quotes SGM's Frank Addario on the government's plan to get tough on young offenders.
The Conservative government promises that, if elected, it will amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act to, in effect, impose adult sentences on some young offenders and stop shielding their identity.
The National Post reports that the new, harsher sentences would affect youths 14 and older in most of the country, but that it would apply only to those 16 and older in Quebec, where the justice system and public sentiment favour rehabilitation. Apparently, the Conservative's alleged concern for pubic safety takes a back seat to winning seats in that province so that it can form a majority government.
SGM's Frank Addario suspects that, if passed, the legislation may be resisted by courts: "The more the government attempts to squeeze young offenders into the adult criminal model, the more likely it is that the courts will resist. It has long been the law in Canada that young people are entitled to a presumption of diminished moral blameworthiness." Frank aslo notes that research does not suggest that severe punishment of young people will prevent them from embarking on a life of recidivism.
