ABSTRACT
The criminal law accords differential treatment to special categories of offenders, including people convicted of crimes committed before the have attained the age of majority. This chapter discusses public reaction to juvenile crime, and the treatment of young offenders by juvenile courts. There are parallels between public perceptions of juvenile justice and sentencing at the adult level. Most people believe that the juvenile courts are too lenient, and this perception has been around for some time. In 1984, significant changes to the treatment of young offenders were introduced in Canada. Markwart presents a great deal of information about the use of incarceration in youth courts both before and after passage of the Young Offenders Act in Canada. If juvenile courts shared the same purpose and punishments as adult courts, there would be no need for a dual system of justice.
