| Conservative action for safer communities
January 28, 2010
On Thursday, our Conservative Government proposed new action to help protect Canadian communities through the modification of the young offenders system. All too often, the system is powerless in keeping violent or repeat young offenders in custody while awaiting trial, even when they pose a danger to society. Right now, a youth 14 or older may commit the most serious of crimes – murder or aggravated assault – and more times than not, the sentence given is much shorter than Canadians expect for these serious crimes. Furthermore, in some cases, a youth convicted of a serious violent offence can be released into the community anonymously. In these instances, parents may have no way of knowing that a convicted offender is in their area. Our Conservative Government is working to keep our streets safer by proposing these new measures to modify the young offenders system. Our proposed measures include working to simplify the rules surrounding young offenders – to keep them off the streets, when necessary. They also include requiring that the courts consider adult sentences for those convicted of these most serious crimes, when the circumstances require it. While provinces and territories would still have the discretion to set the age at which these requirements would apply, we will ensure that offenders under the age of 18 will not be placed in an adult facility, even when they receive an adult sentence. Offenders under 18 will serve their sentences in youth facilities only. In cases where convicted offenders are released into the community anonymously, our Government is proposing to give the courts greater discretion to publish the names of young offenders, when the protection of society requires it. This announcement is further proof that our Conservative Government is working for the safety and security of Canadians and their families. |
