Youth and the Criminal Law in Canada, 2nd Edition

This book addresses practical problems faced daily by prosecutors, defence lawyers, police officers and judges who are dealing with youth justice cases. Every step of the criminal process involving young persons is addressed, including pretrial proceedings, legal representation, release pending trial and sentencing. It provides an historical overview of the development of youth justice law in Canada, from the earliest legal codes to the present day Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).

The new edition has extensive revisions to account for all major developments in the legislation and case law since 2009. With this thoroughly updated, meticulously researched and expanded second edition, Youth and the Criminal Law in Canada cements its place as the classic legal textbook on youth criminal law in Canada and the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Written by a federal advisory Crown and university law lecturer for law professors, law students and legal practitioners, no other legal textbook in Canada covers this niche area of the criminal law more comprehensively.

This legal textbook contains a detailed account of the development of Canada's youth criminal justice system, thoroughly discusses how Canada arrived at its minimum age of criminal responsibility and includes detailed chapters on sentencing, the privacy and records provisions, and the Charter jurisprudence as it applies to young persons. For those who need a solid grounding in the YCJA, including criminal law practitioners who want to add youth criminal law to their areas of expertise, this textbook on youth criminal law is a must.

What's New in This Edition?

• Thorough consideration of how the courts are interpreting the significant amendments to the YCJA that came into force in October 2012, from the philosophical tweaking of its principles, to the new bail regime, to profound changes in sentencing and the privacy rules for young persons
• Identification of emerging legal trends and legal issues, such as the controversial police practice of ‘carding', the teenage phenomenon of sexting, the growing research on the vulnerability of young persons to falsely confess to crimes during police interrogations, the latest scientific research on the adolescent brain, the law of detention, the privacy interests of young persons in their computers and school lockers, and the implications of new anti-terrorism law on young persons being dealt with under the YCJA
• A completely new chapter 10, which is a brief survey of youth justice approaches in other countries