Introduction

The National Justice Survey (NJS) is a public opinion research survey that is administered on an annual basis to explore the perceptions and knowledge of justice-related issues of people living in Canada. Findings from this survey are used to inform policy and program development.

This report focuses on youth justice-related issues and examines respondents’ perceptions and knowledge of the youth criminal justice system (YCJS). The YCJS is governed by the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), which applies to 12-to-17-year olds who come in contact with the criminal justice system. The YCJA was introduced in 2003 to address concerns with the previous legislation, the Young Offenders Act (YOA); including that the YOA had led to the overuse of courts and custody in less serious cases, disparities and unfairness in sentencing, and a lack of effective reintegration of young people released from custody. The YCJA is intended to ensure that Canada’s youth criminal justice system is fair and effective. It recognizes that while youth must be held accountable for criminal acts, they are still maturing and have unique needs that should be considered in their treatment within the justice system. The YCJA also promotes the use of extrajudicial measures and the rehabilitation and reintegration of youth into the community.

This report first examines respondents’ awareness of the YCJA and their level of confidence in the YCJS. The report then examines several topical issues related to the YCJS, including: youth accountability; the involvement of third parties (e.g., family and community members) in the judicial process; the consideration of Indigenous identity and racialized identity during sentencing; and, the use of custodial sentences for youth. The paper uses an intersectional approach to understand how perceptions differ when considering sociodemographic indicators, such as age, gender, Indigenous identity, and racialized identity.