Youth Criminal Lawyer Ottawa
What Happens to a Young Person Charged with an Offence?
There are number of misconceptions about what happens to young people charged with crimes.
One of the most common misconceptions is that a young person will receive only a slap on the wrist.
The Canadian Criminal Law deals with Youth Offenders differently than Adult Offenders via Youth Court system. And while courts try find alternatives to jail to deal with most youth offences and try to avoid giving young people a criminal record, it is important to realize that those who have been charged with more serious offences or have re-offended could be facing jail time. Furthermore, more serious offences or repeat offences could become part of the young person’s permanent record, which would make it difficult to obtain employment and travel. Moreover, a prosecutor must consider an adult sentence for anyone who is 14 years of age or older and has committed a serious violent offence.
Another common misconception is that a child charged with an offence has necessarily ruined his or her life. The criminal justice system’s focus in dealing with young people is on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJ) provides numerous alternatives to the traditional court and sentencing process, such as sentencing circles and community supervision orders. The YCJ provides that less serious offences will removed from a young person’s record after a certain period of time so long as he or she does not reoffend.
Thus, it is entirely possible that a charge can be dealt with outside of the court process and that it will eventually be expunged from the young person’s record, leaving him or her with the opportunity to move on with his or her life in a positive way.
DUVADIE Law Can Assist Young People to Obtain Lesser Sentences and Get Their Lives Back on Track
If your child or teenager has been charged with an offence, DUVADIE Law can assist you to explore the options available and provide advice on how to get his or her life back on track.
If you are under 18 and you are facing a criminal charge, please call DUVADIE Law at 613-422-1155 or Toll-Free at 1-855-422-1155 to set up your free 30 minute consultation.
Page last updated Sep 30, 2018 @ 00:31
