Juvenile Delinquent's Act (JDA)

    Cards (5)

    • How many interrations of the Juvenile Delinquents Act have there been?
      There have been three interrations of the Juvenile Delinquents Act.
    • What were the first Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA) (1908 - 1984)
      • "Every juvenile delinquent shall be treated, not as a criminal, but as a misdirected and misguided child."
      • Established a separate justice system for youth, including youth courts, and youth probation – encouraged parental involvement.
      • Children in trouble with the law were charged with "delinquency" rather than specific statutes.
    • What was the definition of delinquency under the Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA) (1908 - 1984)?
      The definition of delinquency included:
      • "Sexual immorality or any similar form of vice."
      • Truancy
      • Could also be applied to children who were neglected, abused, or uncontrollable.
      • Minimum age to be charged: seven years old.
    • What were the statutes the follow the JDA and during what years were they?
      Statutes that followed the JDA are:
      • The Young Offenders Act (YOA) (1984 - 2003)
      • The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) (2003 - present)
    • What are some other things the Juvenile Delinquent's Act (JDA) was able to do?
      The Juvenile Delinquent's act:
      • Granted youth court judges a "parens patriae" (a pseudo-parental role)
      • Judges directed to focus on rehabilitation, not on dispensing punishment. They had discretion when deciding outcomes.
      • Possible outcomes for delinquents: foster care, fines, institutionalisation.
      • Juvenile Courts Committees made up of probation officers and volunteers established to assist judges with sentencing.
      • Children under 12 were only supposed to be institutionalised when no other options were available.