YOUTH CRIME LAWYER CALGARY
There are special rules which are applicable to young people charged with criminal offences at every stage from arrest to prosecution. Young people appear in youth criminal court. Alberta Legal experienced youth offences lawyer will help you fight your charges.
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YOUNG OFFENDER
YOUTH CRIME LAWYER CALGARY
Because youth often do not have adults’ judgment and experience, charges against them are treated differently than an adult. Depending on the severity of the crime and the accused’s age, they could be tried as an adult. However, most often, young offenders are charged and convicted under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
A young offender is considered anyone over the age of 12 but under the age of 18. Typically the courts’ ruling aims to help rehabilitate the youth and reintegrate them as a standing member of society. Young offenders are considered to be more responsive to rehabilitation than adults.
Youth Criminal Justice Act
In Alberta youth offences are tried in youth court and are dealt with under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) legislation. The offences are the same as what you would see an adult face. However, the courts have a different set of rules and guidelines when adjudicating youth offences.
Under the YCJA, every judge must ensure the punishment for the crime accomplishes two goals:
- The Accused Is Accountable For Their Actions
- The Punishment Encourages Rehabilitation & Reintegration Into Society
In addition to the special considerations when handing down punishment, offenders charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act are also entitled to specific treatments after being arrested. These considerations include:
- Bail Eligibility
- Legal Representation During All Criminal Proceedings
- The Right To A Fair Trial
- Media Publication Ban Of Their Name
- Guardian Or Legal Representation During Questioning
- Juvenile Record Accessibility
- A Fair Sentence Based On Their Level Of Responsibility & Consequence Awareness
Commonly youth matters can be redirected to a program called extra-judicial sanctions. This could see the punishment served through community service hours through fines or other means to prevent an official criminal conviction on your record.
Preventing & Rehabilitating Youth Offenders
The youth offences justice system was built to prevent crime by addressing young offenders early and figuring out the underlying factors of their alleged behaviour. The goal is to rehabilitate young offenders and ensure the consequences/punishments are meaningful and productive.
The system does not want to punish young offenders unnecessarily but instead reinforce societal values and integrate them back into society after rehabilitation.
Special considerations for young offenders
Parents must be informed before their children are prosecuted. Law enforcement is also somewhat limited in how they can take statements from alleged young offenders, as they are entitled to have a parent present when being interviewed.
If law enforcement violates the rights of an alleged young offender, the statement will likely be inadmissible in court.
Privacy for young offenders
Young offenders get special considerations for their privacy. Their identities cannot be disclosed during criminal proceedings or within the media, even when they are found guilty. The court and subsequent media outlets can only refer to the young offender with their initials.
Unlike adults, the records of a young offender’s criminal history end up being sealed forever, unless they recommit another crime within a specific time frame. Sealing a youth’s criminal record allows them to reintegrate into society and get a second chance at life.
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If your child is currently being prosecuted as a young offender, contact Alberta Legal youth crime lawyers today. Our team is qualified and experienced when it comes to practicing youth criminal justice, and you can trust that our lawyers will provide them with the defence you deserve.
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Liam Nelson
Dedication, Support, Ethic, Knowledge, Experience, Sharp and Direct. All the qualities your are looking for in a lawyer, they have it all and some. But JILLIAN WILLIAMSON was my guardian angel. Being a Client, I was comfortable to blindly leave my fate in their hands. That was a real well placed investment in the future of my life. I second, promote, referred and all the synonym possible to anybody facing an up hill battle and needs the support and experience to help you go through it.
K. V
I am so very pleased with the work Mathew Deshaye put into my case! He genuinely is a good person, and is determined to get justice. Matthew is extremely professional and I couldn’t have been happier with having him represent me. I’m glad that I could work with him. Dina his assistant was also great with communicating back and forth with me. I made the right choice by retaining Matthew as my lawyer and I hope you do the same. I am in tears with how grateful I am. I’m so very thankful for the work and research that went into helping me with my case! Thank you! 🙂
Jan Ciganik
I was involved in a motor vehicle case and I knew I needed outstanding representation. Jim Lutz, Lacey and his team were nothing short of perfection. I was thoroughly impressed how he handled my case with expedited tenacity. The judicial system can be very confusing with how everything works ,but Mr. Lutz was very easy to communicate with and simplified everything. If you need a lawyer who is on the ball, Jim without a question is the person who should represent you. I highly recommend Mr. Lutz and his team! Thank you very much Sir and your team for all outstanding professional services.