Introduction
Canada has grown in most of its sectors and has succeeded in vary many things especially in its systems. However, one sector remains a challenge and a drawback to the nation especially in the way it is perceived by the citizens. The justice sector has undergone a lot of reformations and reviews in efforts to try and make it more applicable, though it still upholds a lot of laws and principles that have been in existence form a very long time and which have been used by very many generations (UTP, 2009).
The justice system has even been more challenging especially in the affairs affecting the youth and the relationship between them and the law enforcers, especially the police. While the young people constitute the largest percentage of the whole population of Canadians, it seems like their affairs have not been adequately considered.
The youth justice system of the state has been criticized very many times and has even caused a lot of public unrest and reactions, a factor that has worsened the relationship between the youth and the police (Chow, 2010). There is a need for the whole system to be reviewed more comprehensively with the youth getting incorporated into its definition and implementation. (Canadian Encyclopedia, 2011)
A study was carried out to analyze the main challenges associated with the youth justice in Canada so as to determine if it interfered with youth-police relations.
The study consisted of a survey of a sample population of young people across the country to determine their attitudes towards the youth justice system and also to get their views on any proposals of reformation and review they raised towards the system (Chow, 2010). A sample was also considered from the police department to get their views on the police-youth relations within the nation (DOJC, 2009).
Aims of the Study
The study is aimed at determining the fairness and acceptability of the youth justice system and its effects on the youth-police relations in Canada. The study will also seek to identify the main problems in the youth justice system and hence propose feasible solutions that may help improve the police-youth relations (Triola, 2009).
The research questions for this study will be as follows:
- Is the youth justice system fair and acceptable?
- Are there any problems that should be addressed in the youth justice system?
- Have the problems in the youth justice system interfered with the youth-police relations?
The research hypotheses for this study will hence be:
- Ho : The youth justice system is fair, Vs
- H1 : The youth justice system is not fair and acceptable.
- Ho : There are no problems that should be addressed in the youth justice system, Vs
- H1 : There are problems that should be addressed in the youth justice system.
- Ho : The problems in the youth justice system have not interfered with the youth-police relations, Vs
- H1 : The problems in the youth justice system have interfered with the youth-police relations.
Methodology
The study that will be carried out will be a survey. It will be carried out with consideration of the sample population being the youth in Canada. The youth will be considered as those between the age of 16years and 35 years. Also, a sample from the police department will be considered (DOJC, 2009).
The sample size for the study will include 1000 youths and 100 police officers. This sample will be considered as providing adequate information which will be a true representation of the general population of young people and the population of police officers (Klugh, 1986).
The sample will be collected using the convenience method, with randomization being observed to remove any biasness from the study. The method of data collection that will be used will be the use of questionnaires. This method is bound to provide adequate information from the respondents as required by the research more easily than through use of other methods (Makarenko, 2007).
Data Analysis
The data that will be collected using the questionnaires will be coded into SPSS statistical software for analysis of the data collected. The software will then be used for carrying out the analysis necessary for meeting the research objectives. The results of the analysis will then be used for testing of the hypotheses (Triola, 2009).
Conclusions and Recommendations
The results from the data analysis using SPSS statistical software will be used for drawing of conclusions to determine which of the hypotheses is correct. This information will then be used for making of recommendations on whether there are problems in the youth justice system that have interfered with the youth-police relations and whether the youth justice system requires any amendments or not (Klugh, 1986).
References
Canadian Encyclopedia. (2011). Juvenile Justice Systems. Web.
Chow, H. (2010). Police Performance and Police Treatment of Minorities. Web
DOJC. (2009). The Youth Criminal Justice Act: Summary and Background. Web.
Klugh, H. (1986). Statistics: The Essentials for Research. London: Academic Press.
Makarenko, J. (2007). Youth Justice in Canada: History & Debates. Web.
Triola, F. (2009). Elementary Statistics (11th ed.). New York, NY: ACM.
UTP. (2009). The Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Web.