Findings

Awareness of the Youth Criminal Justice Act

The YCJA is a federal Act that governs the administration of justice for youth aged 12 to 17 who come in contact with the criminal justice system. Respondents were asked about their level of awareness of the YCJA prior to this survey. Responses were measured on a five-point scale, from one (1) meaning “Not aware at all” to five (5) meaning “Very aware.”

Over half (52%) of respondents self-reported that they were not aware of the YCJA, while 27% were moderately aware, and 20% were aware (see Chart 1). Indigenous people (29%)–specifically, First Nations (31%) and Métis people (27%)–and Black peopleFootnote 2 (25%) were more likely than White people (19%) to report being aware of the YCJA.

Chart 1. Level of awareness of the Youth Criminal justice Act, Canada, 2022

Chart 1. Level of awareness of the Youth Criminal justice Act, Canada, 2022
Chart 1. Level of awareness of the Youth Criminal justice Act, Canada, 2022 – Text version

A pie chart divided into 4 different slices. The legend below the chart notes that blue is for “Not aware (1-2)”, light blue is for “Moderately aware (3)”, green is for “Aware (4-5)”, and dark blue is “Don’t know”.

Blue takes up 52% of the pie chart, light blue takes up 27%, green takes up 20%, and dark blue takes up 1%.

Below the legend is a note that says:

As their main source of information about the YCJS, respondents were most likely to indicate using government websites or publications (32%), followed by popular culture, such as television, movies, radio and magazine (14%), family or friends (11%) and legal professionals (11%).