SOC209H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Youth Criminal Justice Act, Drug Court, Summary Offence
Document Summary
Monitor police and systems to make sure it is just. Judicial independence- citizens are free from political influence. 2 levels: provincial and superior- except nunavut. Lowest level- nearly all criminal cases here. No jury, just judge and justice of peace- may decide if trial is warranted. Now increasingly serious offences brought here- strain resources, blur between the higher level superior courts. Divert offenders with special needs eg: drug, mental. Avoid incarceration by abiding to certain conditions like treatment/programs. They address underlying problems, inter-agency and interdisciplinary colabs, accountable to the community- improve quality of life and residence familiarity with courts. Try to treat the problem, rehab, avoid revolving-door, Therapeutic justice: use law and courts as change agents un promoting health and well being of offenders while protecting their legal rights. A lot of variation in type of crime, sentencing some may only take minor offenders/non-violent, pre-plea level. Flaw: blurs line between treatment and coercive enforcement.
