Youth in the Justice System

Indicator #38: Youth Conviction Rate

Indicator 38A: Youth justice community rate per 10,000 youth population.

Indicator 38B: Youth justice custody rate per 10,000 youth population.

 

Jump to Figure Notes and Sources

 

Key Messages

  • Involvement in the youth justice system is often the consequence of poor childhood outcomes such as social exclusion, low educational achievement, and poverty.1
  • In 2014, the rate of youth in custody in BC was 2 per 10,000, which is one-third the Canadian rate of 6 per 10,000.2

  • The youth justice system in BC includes three categories:

    • Formal diversion: Youth who are diverted from the court system to be managed by police in a formal community service such as the John Howard Society.
    • First community sentence: Youth under a first court order to serve a sentence in the community (rather than incarceration).
    • Incarceration: Youth ordered to serve a sentence in a Youth Custody Centre.2
  • As shown in Figure 38AB.1, the rate per 10,000 of youth in the BC justice system declined substantially from 2009 to 2014. 

 

Figure Notes and Sources

Figure 38AB.1

Notes:  "Diversion" includes youth who are diverted from the court system to be managed by police in a formal community service such as the John Howard Society. "First Community Sentence" includes youth under a first court order to serve a sentence in the community rather than incarceration. "Incarceration" includes youth in a Youth Custody Centre.

Data source: BC Ministry of Children and Family Development, Corporate Data Warehouse, 2015. Prepared by the Surveillance and Epidemiology Team, BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer, 2016.

 

References

  1. McMurtry R, Curling A. Review of the roots of youth violence: literature reviews. Vol. 5. Toronto, ON: Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services; 2008.
  2. BC Ministry of Children and Family Development. Performance management report. Vol. 7. Victoria, BC: BC Ministry of Children and Family Development; 2015 Sep [cited 2016 Jun 30]. Available from: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/family-and-social-supports/services-su….