Safe Streets and Communities Act (S.C. 2012, c. 1)
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Assented to 2012-03-13
Coming into Force
Marginal note:Order in council
166. (1) The provisions of this Part, other than sections 108 to 146, 148 to 159 and 161 to 165, come into force on a day or days to be fixed by order of the Governor in Council.
Marginal note:Order in council
(2) Sections 135 and 136 come into force on a day to be fixed by order of the Governor in Council.
PART 4YOUTH CRIMINAL JUSTICE
2002, c. 1Youth Criminal Justice Act
Amendments to the Act
167. (1) The definition “presumptive offence” in subsection 2(1) of the Youth Criminal Justice Act is repealed.
(2) The definition “serious violent offence” in subsection 2(1) of the Act is replaced by the following:
“serious violent offence”
« infraction grave avec violence »
“serious violent offence” means an offence under one of the following provisions of the Criminal Code:
(a) section 231 or 235 (first degree murder or second degree murder);
(b) section 239 (attempt to commit murder);
(c) section 232, 234 or 236 (manslaughter); or
(d) section 273 (aggravated sexual assault).
(3) Subsection 2(1) of the Act is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:
“serious offence”
« infraction grave »
“serious offence” means an indictable offence under an Act of Parliament for which the maximum punishment is imprisonment for five years or more.
“violent offence”
« infraction avec violence »
“violent offence” means
(a) an offence committed by a young person that includes as an element the causing of bodily harm;
(b) an attempt or a threat to commit an offence referred to in paragraph (a); or
(c) an offence in the commission of which a young person endangers the life or safety of another person by creating a substantial likelihood of causing bodily harm.
168. (1) Paragraph 3(1)(a) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(a) the youth criminal justice system is intended to protect the public by
(i) holding young persons accountable through measures that are proportionate to the seriousness of the offence and the degree of responsibility of the young person,
(ii) promoting the rehabilitation and reintegration of young persons who have committed offences, and
(iii) supporting the prevention of crime by referring young persons to programs or agencies in the community to address the circumstances underlying their offending behaviour;
(2) The portion of paragraph 3(1)(b) of the Act before subparagraph (i) is replaced by the following:
(b) the criminal justice system for young persons must be separate from that of adults, must be based on the principle of diminished moral blameworthiness or culpability and must emphasize the following:
169. Subsection 29(2) of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Justification for detention in custody
(2) A youth justice court judge or a justice may order that a young person be detained in custody only if
(a) the young person has been charged with
(i) a serious offence, or
(ii) an offence other than a serious offence, if they have a history that indicates a pattern of either outstanding charges or findings of guilt;
(b) the judge or justice is satisfied, on a balance of probabilities,
(i) that there is a substantial likelihood that, before being dealt with according to law, the young person will not appear in court when required by law to do so,
(ii) that detention is necessary for the protection or safety of the public, including any victim of or witness to the offence, having regard to all the circumstances, including a substantial likelihood that the young person will, if released from custody, commit a serious offence, or
(iii) in the case where the young person has been charged with a serious offence and detention is not justified under subparagraph (i) or (ii), that there are exceptional circumstances that warrant detention and that detention is necessary to maintain confidence in the administration of justice, having regard to the principles set out in section 3 and to all the circumstances, including
(A) the apparent strength of the prosecution’s case,
(B) the gravity of the offence,
(C) the circumstances surrounding the commission of the offence, including whether a firearm was used, and
(D) the fact that the young person is liable, on being found guilty, for a potentially lengthy custodial sentence; and
(c) the judge or justice is satisfied, on a balance of probabilities, that no condition or combination of conditions of release would, depending on the justification on which the judge or justice relies under paragraph (b),
(i) reduce, to a level below substantial, the likelihood that the young person would not appear in court when required by law to do so,
(ii) offer adequate protection to the public from the risk that the young person might otherwise present, or
(iii) maintain confidence in the administration of justice.
Marginal note:Onus
(3) The onus of satisfying the youth justice court judge or the justice as to the matters referred to in subsection (2) is on the Attorney General.
170. Subsection 32(1) of the Act is amended by adding “and” at the end of paragraph (b), by striking out “and” at the end of paragraph (c) and by repealing paragraph (d).
171. Subsection 37(4) of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Appeals heard together
(4) An order under subsection 72(1) or (1.1) (adult or youth sentence), 75(2) (lifting of ban on publication) or 76(1) (placement when subject to adult sentence) may be appealed as part of the sentence and, unless the court to which the appeal is taken otherwise orders, if more than one of these is appealed they must be part of the same appeal proceeding.
172. Subsection 38(2) of the Act is amended by striking out “and” at the end of paragraph (d), by adding “and” at the end of paragraph (e) and by adding the following after paragraph (e):
(f) subject to paragraph (c), the sentence may have the following objectives:
(i) to denounce unlawful conduct, and
(ii) to deter the young person from committing offences.
173. Paragraph 39(1)(c) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(c) the young person has committed an indictable offence for which an adult would be liable to imprisonment for a term of more than two years and has a history that indicates a pattern of either extrajudicial sanctions or of findings of guilt or of both under this Act or the Young Offenders Act, chapter Y-1 of the Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985; or
174. (1) Paragraph 42(2)(o) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(o) in the case of an offence set out in section 239 (attempt to commit murder), 232, 234 or 236 (manslaughter) or 273 (aggravated sexual assault) of the Criminal Code, make a custody and supervision order in respect of the young person for a specified period not exceeding three years from the date of committal that orders the young person to be committed into a continuous period of custody for the first portion of the sentence and, subject to subsection 104(1) (continuation of custody), to serve the remainder of the sentence under conditional supervision in the community in accordance with section 105;
(2) Paragraph 42(5)(a) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(a) the young person is found guilty of an offence other than one in the commission of which a young person causes or attempts to cause serious bodily harm; and
(3) Subparagraphs 42(7)(a)(i) and (ii) of the Act are replaced by the following:
(i) the young person has been found guilty of a serious violent offence, or
(ii) the young person has been found guilty of an offence, in the commission of which the young person caused or attempted to cause serious bodily harm and for which an adult is liable to imprisonment for a term of more than two years, and the young person had previously been found guilty at least twice of such an offence;
(4) Subsections 42(9) and (10) of the Act are repealed.
175. Sections 61 to 63 of the Act are repealed.
176. (1) Subsections 64(1) and (2) of the Act are replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Application by Attorney General
64. (1) The Attorney General may, before evidence is called as to sentence or, if no evidence is called, before submissions are made as to sentence, make an application to the youth justice court for an order that a young person is liable to an adult sentence if the young person is or has been found guilty of an offence for which an adult is liable to imprisonment for a term of more than two years and that was committed after the young person attained the age of 14 years.
Marginal note:Obligation
(1.1) The Attorney General must consider whether it would be appropriate to make an application under subsection (1) if the offence is a serious violent offence and was committed after the young person attained the age of 14 years. If, in those circumstances, the Attorney General decides not to make an application, the Attorney General shall advise the youth justice court before the young person enters a plea or with leave of the court before the commencement of the trial.
Marginal note:Order fixing age
(1.2) The lieutenant governor in council of a province may by order fix an age greater than 14 years but not greater than 16 years for the purpose of subsection (1.1).
Marginal note:Notice of intention to seek adult sentence
(2) If the Attorney General intends to seek an adult sentence for an offence by making an application under subsection (1), the Attorney General shall, before the young person enters a plea or with leave of the youth justice court before the commencement of the trial, give notice to the young person and the youth justice court of the intention to seek an adult sentence.
(2) Subsections 64(4) and (5) of the Act are repealed.
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