SASKATCHEWAN CALLS FOR CHANGES TO THE YOUNG OFFENDERS ACT

Released on February 4, 1998

Social Services Minister Lorne Calvert and Justice Minister John Nilson today called on the federal government to immediately make

changes to the Young Offenders Act.



"We need to be sure that offending youth are being dealt with effectively by the courts and our communities.



"That means we need to take a tougher stand on the relatively small number of violent and chronic offending youth. We must also balance

that with programs to bridge youth who commit less serious offenses, back into the community safely," Calvert said.



The Minister called on the federal government to make changes to the Young Offenders Act and to reinforce a more balanced approach to the

youth justice system.



Calvert released a letter that he and the Minister of Justice, John Nilson, are sending to federal Justice Minister Anne McClellan,

outlining specific changes the Saskatchewan government wants made to the Act:



Public protection be recognized as the primary purpose of the Young Offenders Act. That youth court be allowed to authorize publication of the

names of serious violent or chronic offending youth following conviction - where this is in the public interest.



That youth court be allowed to authorize release of information about young people who pose a risk to the

community in the same manner that information about adults can be released in Saskatchewan under The Public Disclosure

Act.



Distinct sentencing principles be included in the Young Offenders Act to help direct the courts when considering the

most appropriate sentence for a serious, violent or chronic offender.



Support strengthening the ability to transfer serious, violent and chronic young offenders to adult court.





The letter called for a specific assurance that all youth, aged 14 and over, charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter,

or aggravated sexual assault will be transferred to adult court unless there are compelling reasons not to do so.



Calvert said the provincial government is also calling on the federal government to again pay 50 per cent of the costs of young

offenders' programs. Prior to 1989 when the federal funding was capped, Ottawa was paying 50 per cent of the costs of these

services. Now as a result of this offloading, they are paying just 30 per cent of the cost.



Ensuring the safety of communities, and ensuring that effective programming exists which safely bridges the youth back to the

community when his/her sentence is over, are key priorities of the government of Saskatchewan.



However Calvert cautioned against letting the recent focus on youth crime colour opinions about youth in general.



"We have 94,000 youth in this province. The vast majority of these youth are ordinary kids and good solid citizens. Less than

one half of one per cent of those youth are in young offender facilities, and the majority of those offending youth are in

facilities for non-violent offenses.



"While we need to strengthen our responses to violent youth crime in our communities we also need to be careful that we don't

become consumed by a general fear of youth that is ungrounded, unfair and detrimental to the healthy society our youth will lead

and be members of in the years ahead," Calvert concluded.



Calvert said the provincial government will be pressing the federal government on these issues, and hopes to see reforms to

the Young Offenders Act introduced in the present federal legislative session.



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For further information, contact:



Virginia Wilkinson

Social Services

Regina

Phone: (306) 787-0916