HUNTER: Consequences an obscene word in youth justice world
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The iron ore pellet rocketed from my slingshot, shattering the window of a K-Car being transported east by rail.
My friends and I split el pronto, fully aware there would be dire consequences if we were nabbed. And in the late 1970s, there would have been hell to pay — court, maybe reform school, and a very, very bad scene at home.
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Today, “consequences” is not in the lexicon of aspiring underage criminals.
The Criminal Youth Justice System is a free pass for bad behaviour. Murder, sex assault, mayhem and all manner of outrageous anti-social behaviour have become the norm.
One prominent Toronto criminal lawyer, who asked not to be named because of the nature of his work, told the Toronto Sun the problem with the system is twofold.
“The approach is designed to give youth the resources not to reoffend, to be rehabilitated and deal with the issues that influenced their criminal behaviour,” the lawyer said.
“It does not work. It fails on all accounts because, first and foremost, there is zero deterrent preventing anyone from reoffending. The punishments have no teeth.”
He added: “And more importantly, the other side of the coin: the restorative justice resources are far too minimal and don’t address the problems at home, on the street and in society that the youth encounter every single day which are far more influential than a 10-step program designed to say, ‘well, we tried to help where we could’.”
Most familiar with the youth justice system in Canada are aware that it is, in fact, a joke. Punishment is not on the menu.
“The youth system is group homes and video games and classes and a basketball gym,” the lawyer said.
“It’s designed to make them comfortable and try to succeed, but like anything else, it ends when they walk out the door and return home to the streets.”
As all aspects of Canada’s so-called justice system have turned into mush, a veritable faculty lounge teach-in, youth crime has soared.
If you are criminally inclined, there is no good reason to stop your errant ways. Why? Nothing is going to happen.
A youth in this country can murder, as in the case of homeless man Ken Lee, stabbed and battered to death by a gang of eight underage girls, and be right as rain in 18 months.
“I think a real deterrent would start by implementing some form of respect for rules and elders [superiors] — that’s the hardest part of going to youth court — watching young kids swear at their mothers about not doing enough that morning to get them breakfast. It’s a total breakdown in the acknowledgement of a hierarchy of control,” the lawyer said.
He added Big Boy Jail doesn’t scare them because of the easy ride in juvie.
“I have never had a client who hasn’t hit at least a double or a triple in the adult system after proceeding through the youth system,” he said.
“I have the talk with them in the youth system and say … it’s not like this in a few months when you turn 18 …”
He added: “A few months later, boom, they’ve committed an adult offence and are in real jail weighing 155 pounds soaking wet and scared because they never expected what’s happened to them. I always say I told you, this is adult jail, it isn’t like when you were a kid.”
About a month ago, I had a couple of beers at the fabled Duke on Queen St. E. with one of my best friends, who is considerably more liberal than I am.
“I think after two strikes, they should be shipping these kids into the military where they can learn a skill, get some discipline and stop committing crimes,” my pal said, shocking me.
My lawyer friend agreed: “Having them sit around and be coddled in a setting where no one has any authority figures they respect just causes the problem to flourish … so anything that would get kids activity, have them take responsibility and respect rules and order should be on the agenda from my view.”
@HunterTOSun
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