Experienced Lawyers Help Keep Youth Out Of Jail

By Author: Kevin Douglas
Total Articles: 14
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Reports suggest that a large proportion of cases being heard in Canadian courts examine charges against accused criminals under 18 years old.

While courts in Canada heard about 400,000 adult cases involving more than 1 million charges in 2010/11, courts dedicated exclusively to hearing youth matters completed more than 52,000 cases involving more than 178,000 charges.

Across the country youth courts completed fewer cases -- except in Manitoba where there was a 3% increase from the previous year.

A decrease of about 15% in youth court cases completed was observed in Nova Scotia and a decrease of about 13% in Prince Edward Island.

About 75% of the cases in youth court do not involve violent offences. Rather, the most common charges considered in youth court involved a failure to comply with a sentence and breaking and entering.

In 2010/11 the youth courts heard fewer cases involving fraud, mischief and uttering threats.

However, there were more cases of criminal harassment, more probation breaches and a higher volume of failure to appear cases.

The Youth Criminal Justice ...
... Act is the guiding document to which law enforcement officers, lawyers and judges refer in litigating youth court matters.

The punishments associated with charges are specific to the Act. Youth who are charged with a criminal offence require representation by a lawyer familiar with it.

Toronto criminal law firms offer a deep pool of lawyers who have experience with the Act.

Finding an experienced lawyer increases the likelihood that a youth charged with a crime will have the best chance of receiving a fair trial.

The consequences of not retaining an experienced lawyer from a Toronto criminal law firm can be dire. In 2010/11, about 57% of youth court cases resulted in a finding of guilt.

As in years past, reports suggest that the courts most often ordered youth to a probation sentence. Of all sentences imposed, almost 60% of those accused received probation of up to 365 days.

It is becoming less common than in years past for youth convicted of a criminal offence to receive a jail term sentence.

In 2010/11, about 15% of those found guilty in youth court went to jail as compared to in 2000/1 when about 30% received custodial sentences.

Where jail terms were delivered in 2010/11, the median length of custodial sentences imposed by youth courts was 35 days.

Jail terms associated with murder convictions were significantly longer.

Youth accused of a crime are encouraged to retain lawyers who have experience with the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Hiring a lawyer experienced in defending young offenders can make a huge difference to the outcome of your case. Make sure the lawyer you hire has relevant experience. It could make the difference between serving jail time and a much lighter sentence, such as probation.

Author Bio : -

The author of this article is affiliated with Kostman & Pyzer Barristers Toronto Criminal Lawyers, a Young Offenders law firm serving clients in the Greater Toronto area and elsewhere in the province of Ontario. For more information visit :- www.torontodefencelawyers.com