Executive Summary
Canada’s judicial system has been undergoing significant changes since its inception. There are still several issues that are yet to be addressed since the modification of laws, especially within the criminal justice system concerning the youth. This paper looks at the interaction between Canadian youths and the law enforcement, and the best ways in which this interaction could be improved by the youth criminal justice act.
Furthermore, it looks at the challenges faced by law enforcement officers while dealing with the youth and vice versa. Finally, this paper presents some recommendations to improve police-youth relations after interviewing were reached after various Canadian youth and police officers concerning their views about the justice system and the kind of policies they expect to see changed within the judicial system, concerning police-youth relations (Forcese 99).
Background
The relationship between the police officers and the youth has been strained since the Juvenile Delinquent Act of 1908. The youth have had a perception that the judicial system is biased on the basis of marginalization therefore, blaming the system for the strained relationship between police officers and the youth and posits that these need to be addressed (Bala, 44) before proper relations can begin to surface.
The current Youth Criminal Justice Act is complex and has long and ambiguous policies that still excludes the youth in the whole process. These policies have only resulted in an increase in juvenile delinquencies and evident that youth, particularly in metropolitan cities commit crimes, which are mostly gang related.
The Canadian justice system seems to be very complicated and very bureaucratic (in what way?). In the urban setting, the criminal justice process has been made difficult given that the population is high and the level of accountability is low when compared to that in the rural setting (See fig. 1. below).
It therefore becomes necessary to make adjustments in the justice system to ensure that the youth are involved in the criminal justice process. This would go a long way in reducing the rising problems associated with young offenders as it would make the Canadian youth part of the solution (Johal 2000).
Current Status
The crimes committed by the youth range from minor offences, drug peddling and abuse, prostitution as well as major violent crimes and identity theft. Other crimes include internet or cyber crimes whereby the youth indulge in exploitative or activities of victimizing others.
These crimes seem to be more prevalent in the metropolitan cities that have high populations than in small urban centers or rural area. Due to the slow speed, the complexity and the bureaucratic, nature of the youth judicial system, the youth are thus discouraged from participating in this process (Gould 66).
The youth are not so much involved in helping the police track the problems that are associated with crime due to their negative attitude towards the police. The awareness program that was started in efforts to sensitize the community to report cases of crime as well as help the police in investigations and curbing cases of crime has not yet taken root particularly among the youth.
This is because of the long history of the strained relationship between the Canadian youth and the police which has created a very negative perception of the police to the youth. The awareness program seems to be the best option in dealing with the prevalent cases of juvenile delinquencies although it has not yet had the desire impact. Very few people know about the online forms available for reporting cases of crime.
It is evident that very little effort has been made by the law enforcers in trying to understand the cultures of the different groups of people that are placed under their charge. This is a hindrance to their efforts in fighting crime particularly among the youth who come from different backgrounds with diverse cultures.
The Canadian population especially that of the metropolitan cities is composed of people from various nations and the police has a hard task ensuring that all these people are safe. This makes it necessary for the police to involve the people in the justice system through community policing.
Some people are from cultures where certain practices like same sex relationships are prohibited while others come from cultures where such practices are approved. This is likely to be a recipe for conflict and violence amongst the youth. Gender based violence has also been eminent among the Canadian youth hence the need to end it. Crime that has been motivated by bias or hate is eminent among the Canadian youth and this has made it necessary for the law enforcers to improve on their current strategies of handling such cases.
This could be through organizing interactive sessions where young people from different religious, cultural as well as racial backgrounds come together to interact and remove the barriers among them and foster understanding. The people with disability have not been spared and they are also victims of juvenile delinquencies and they are often targets for young offenders who often find them as an easy and harmless target (Forcese 99).
There is still however much to be done concerning the issues like, peer pressure, organized crime, bullying as well as drug abuse among the Canadian youth.
The safety of Canadians from crimes committed by young offenders will only be made possible if the police unit will make efforts to sensitize and educate the community particularly the youth on the importance of involving them in community policing programs and the procedures for doing the same. The Police Unit is making every effort to ensure that the youth are involved in the policing process.
This is for instance done in conjunction with the education board. The young people are educated in their respective schools concerning issues of law and crime, their safety be it the cyber or general safety, they are also enlightened on the issues of drug and alcohol abuse, peer relations among others. These teaching are also made available on the internet so as to ensure that many people gain access to them (Freudenburg 50).
There are efforts by peer educators aimed at changing the perception of the youth about the police unit among the young people. The trainers have started to develop positive assets among the young people like mentorship programs for the youth, training among other programs aimed at changing the perception of the youth about the police.
The police force has also started a rehabilitation program to stop habitual youth offenders from taking crime as their career. Habitual offenders are selected and made to undergo the rehabilitation program to ensure that they change their habits and acquire new behaviors that reduce crime.
After they are taken, their criminal records are checked, their psychological state determined, their living conditions established as well as their family history and the appropriate measures taken to rehabilitate them. After the rehabilitation process, they are linked with mentors to help them fit back to the society appropriately.
Programs aimed at challenging the youth to take responsibility particularly in terms of leadership and their own safety seem to be the best option in dealing with the problems associated with the young offenders.
The efforts of the police force in dealing with the problem will only be made fruitful if they manage to establish trust and respect with the youth. Reinforcing positive values among the youth by involving them or making them to be the solution to their own problems has been perceived as the most viable way of dealing with the issues of juvenile crimes (Gould 22).
Although community policing has been perceived as the best method of controlling deviant behavior in the Canadian society, it is yet to take root among the Canadian youth.
In the regions where community policing has been adapted, there has been an increased level of satisfaction among the public, many volunteers have come up to participate in the community policing program and the level of accountability has generally gone up. With community policing, the safety needs of respective communities have been met, a good example being the aboriginal community in Canada.
The Police service has put forth strategies that ensure that these marginalized communities are also involved in the justice system. Negative social issues are dealt with comprehensively given that the community offers support to the law enforcers. The police service has programs that are meant to sensitize and enlighten the aboriginal youth on the role that they could assume in community policing.
The youth are trained and deployed back to their communities to offer support to the police units. Such programs have gone a long way in ensuring that the youth are an important asset in fighting crime. The youth are trained on such matter as the dangers of suicide and how to it, as well as the identification of potential victims.
They are also taught the skills of preventing such negative activities as crime and suicide. Those youths who are identified to be at risk are given special guidance. Community policing has particularly been important in ensuring that the minority or marginalized groups are involved in the justice system.
Significance of the Problem
Most youth are bound to get involved in the gang lifestyle and criminal activities if the appropriate preventative measures mentioned earlier are not taken. Peer pressure plays a significant role in influence the youth to adopt crime.
Most of the youth now are at risk of getting involved in gang activities or are already involved. In case the youth are left out, the issues of juvenile crime will be increase at an alarming and issues of victimization will be prevalent. Canada will raise a population of irresponsible and individuals who engage in minor as well as major offenses (Johal 200).
Without the involvement of the youth in community policing, the gap between the youth and law enforcers would only widen hence lead to even increased animosity between the two groups. If the crime problem was left alone, the number of the youth required to go through the formal system of justice would be more and this would lead to a strain and inefficiency in the system.
The problem of young offenders if left alone would only lead to the demand of more law enforcers particularly the police given that the crime rates will increase. Without community policing, the police would be a passive lot who only do superficial work that does not meet the needs of the people.
The police force works across different environments that have different demands and it would be a mission that is almost impossible for the police to just rely on its taskforce in trying to meet the security and safety needs of the respective communities without involving them especially the youth who are the majority.
If the problem of young offenders was left to escalate, the level of deviance would increase as well as the number of those arrested for their indulgence in criminal activities. Involving the youth in community policing programs helps in ensuring that the issues of crime are checked and do not escalate to the levels that are unmanageable. The police unit also finds it easy to carry out their duties of ensuring safety and security of the general population. It also reduces the need for the employment of formal procedures of the justice system.
If the problems of non-involvement of the youth were left to escalate, the rates of discriminative or bias based violence would rice to very high levels since no programs would be in place to ensure that the young people interact with the intentions or removing any religious, racial, sexual or any barriers that exist between them.
The communities would be characterized by instability. Drug abuse and suicide rates would increase given that the youth are not provided with the required education or training on these issues and how to avoid them or how to assist victims (Lobel 33).
Statement of the problem
Fig. 1. Regional distribution of police agencies, which perceive “a lot” of youth crime
The decisions made by the police unit largely depend on the crime rate within that region. About 55 percent of the police units registered what they termed as normal rates of juvenile crime. In 29% of the agencies, many of these crimes were reported while, while only 17% witnessed low rates of these crimes.
The crime rates in large metropolitan cities seem to be pronounced as compared to those in smaller cities or town. The crime rates in cities particularly those involving the youth are much higher than those in rural areas. This can be attributed to the fact that in large metropolitan cities, there is social disorganization and the rates of deviance are higher. The police employ the formal rather than the informal system of justice (Lattimore 70).
Fig. 2. Types of informal action used, by the perceived level of youth crime in the community
The employment of informal methods in the justice systems significantly reduces the rate of minor offences that are chargeable and this in the long run reduces the strain on the formal system. Police agencies that experience high rates of crime might not use summons as compared to those with low crime rates. Other means like appearance notices are used instead (King 299).
Actors Involved
The stakeholders involved in the whole program of community policing and solving the problems of young offenders include the law enforcers especially the police agencies whose role is mainly to ensure the enforcement of the law. They involve the youth in community policing by sensitizing them on its importance and training them on the skills required for the same. Youth are also major actors as they are the ones particularly whom the program targets.
There role mainly includes ensuring security and safety of the community through their collaboration with the law enforcers especially the police. They are trained on the tactics and skills of community policing and they are deployed back to their communities to exercise the same. The collaboration between the two groups will result in a safer community with reduced crime rates particularly among the youth.
Recommendations
- Much needs to be done concerning the issue of involving the youth in community policing. The voice of the youth has to be hard in the matters that concern the justice system.
- Networks of the Youth in the community policing have to be established so as to share on the best way to run the policing program.
- Innovative ways of involving the young people should be established so as to attract the youth in the program.
- The youth have to be trained on several issues that affect them like their self esteem, relationship, safety as well as decision making as this would help them to understand themselves more and avoid criminal activities.
- The mentorship programs for the youth must be enhanced for effective crime prevention.
- Volunteering programs for the youth should be encouraged.
- Youth empowerment must be prioritized the youth must be empowered to access real power and be given responsibility as well as being involved in decision making.
Works Cited
Bala, Nicholas. Young Offenders Law. Concord: Irwin Law, 1997. Print.
Bala, Nicholas. Youth Criminal Justice Law. Toronto: Irwin Law, 2003. Print.
Bala, Nicholas and Kenneth L. Clarke. The Child and the Law. Toronto: McGraw- Hill Ryerson, 1981. Print.
Forcese, Dennis. Police Powers In Canada: The Evolution and Practice of Authority. Issues in Policing: A Canadian Perspective (1992): 99.
Freudenburg, William R. The density of acquaintanceship: An overlooked variable in community research. American Journal of Sociology, 92. 1(1986): 27-63.
Gould, Larry A. Indigenous people policing indigenous people. The potential psychological and cultural, 2009(3): 22.
Johal, Simrita. First Nations Self-Administered Police Forces. The Changing Nature of the Administration of Justice (1980): 200.
King, Patricia. Not So Different, After All. New York: Newsweek, 1993.
Lattimore, P.K., C.A. Visher, and R.L. Linster. Predicting rearrest for violence among serious youthful offenders. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 39(1995): 54-83.
Lobel Kenneth. Naming the Violence: Speaking Out About Lesbian Battering. Washington: Seal Press, 1986. Print.