Essay/Term paper: Young offenders

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Law

YOUNG OFFENDERS

These days more and more young people are turning to crimes. These crimes are being committed by young offenders of all ages. The crimes they are committing are get even more and more serious and in the last five years the percentage of youngsters committing more crime has increase by more then 50%. Young offenders are committing these crimes because the know that the punishment is real weak. If you ask me most young offenders think the young offenders act is a JOKE, and trust me I am a young person I know just as other young people.
"A young offender is a person between the ages of 12-17. This person is a person who comities a crime and is given special rights. These right are less server then adults would get if they committee this same offenses."
There are many cases where a young offender has got off much easier then a adult and no punishment at all. In one case in particular "A boy who was 11 years old who has been in trouble with the law before took a girl with him to his apartment with his gang and then raped her. Then when the police arrived he said you can not touch me" . This to me is very sad first off because he is only 11 years old and he raped a girl but the thing I found most shocking and the rest off the media was that when the police arrived he told them that they could not touch him. Even though he did committee the crime and he should have been charged but sadly e was right. This young offenders knows that the young offenders act is a joke and that is why he committed the crime. He could care less about what he did.
Another case talking about the young offenders act is the James Bulger. " Had the murder of toddler James Bulger occurred in Canada, his killer would never been charged. Under the Canadian law, no child under the age of 12 can be charged with any criminal act, no matter how odious." This was a cases which created a lot of heated discussion about the young offenders act. The discussion was that the young offenders act has to be more strictly and changes are need.
In another case a teen was charged for a murder. "An 18-year-old was killed with a baseball bat Tuesday after he was trapped at the entrance to a chopping mall in Hamilton by six youths out settle a grudge against his younger brother. Police charged a 15-year-old with second-degree murder." . This teen committed a crime of murder and got charged with second degree murder but if a adult had committed this offenses he would have got charged with first degree murder.
Two teen got arrested and charged when they tried to hijack a bus. " A pair of grade 10 students armed with a knife and a gun tried to hijack a school bus from Osoyoos, B.C, to Ontario. A 16-year-old and a 17-year-old face kidnapping and weapons charges" . This is another typical example of what youth are doing and getting away with. If this was a an adult (a person over the age of 18) would have got charged with a much serious charge and would have had to pay a greater price.
Youth court in Ontario is held at city hall. At youth court is so far behind because of all the crimes. Most youth have to wait a few months before actual going to court and by then the less serious cases are then thrown out (because of the delay).
The days of youth going to play in the park, going to school, hang out are all come to any end. These times are being replaced by breaking the law in most cases and will remain so until the law is changed and the rules become more strictly. To most young people we believe the young offenders act is a JOKE.