September 29, 2008

Statement to the Legislature by Deb Matthews, Minister of Children and Youth Services - Child and Family Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Over the past four years, our government has worked to deliver a system that keeps our communities safe and gives youth every chance for success.

The legislative amendments being proposed today – if passed - will complete our government’s transformation of Ontario’s youth justice correctional system to a stand-alone system, designed specifically with the needs of youth in mind.

A key goal of this transformation is reducing the number of youth who re-offend. Because every time we prevent a re-offence, we prevent a crime. And every time we turn a young person from a path that leads to a life of crime to a path that leads to productive employment, we’ve strengthened our economy and our society.

We’re doing this by maximizing opportunities for their rehabilitation while addressing not only their unlawful behaviour, but also the factors that may have influenced the behaviour in the first place.

Currently, in Ontario, those youth 12 to 15 years of age at the time of an offence are governed by the Child Family Services Act (CFSA), while those 16 and 17 years of age at the time of an offence are governed by the Ministry of Correctional Services Act.

Our proposed bill, the Child and Family Services Statute Law Amendment Act, 2008, harmonizes these two pieces of legislation to create a single, youth-focused provincial legislative framework governing custody, detention and community programs for youth in conflict with the law aged 12 to 17 at the time of an offence.

This will create a system that is completely separate from the adult justice system, in facilities that were designed with youth in mind… a system that offers a broad continuum of community based alternatives, consistent with the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Mr. Speaker, placing older youth with younger youth under one Act does not mean we are holding these kids any less accountable for their actions and the poor choices they make.

Our proposed legislation provides decision makers with greater discretion in determining the level of detention for youth awaiting sentencing.
 
This is consistent with the federal proposal to broaden the possibility of detention for a young person who represents a danger to the public.

Mr. Speaker, a dedicated, fully-integrated justice system for youth aged 12-17 at the time of the offence reflects the reality that young people in custody have different needs than adults in custody.

In line with the new legislation, our government is modernizing and building new youth justice facilities in a number of communities across the province.

These new and expanded facilities will accommodate young people who are currently held in youth units located in adult secure correctional institutions.

Most of the youth in secure custody units have now been moved out of facilities shared with adults.

A new, secure, youth-only facility – The Donald Doucet Centre - opened recently in Sault Ste. Marie.

And new or expanded, secure, youth-only facilities will be up and running by next April in Brampton, Thunder Bay, Fort Frances and Ottawa.

These state-of-the-art facilities, while holding youth responsible for their behaviour, will provide young people with the supports and services they need to help them make better choices and become contributing members of society.

They will feature on-site education and rehabilitation programs to help reduce the number of youth in conflict with the law who re-offend – an important goal of our government.
The new facilities will also bring youth in conflict with the law closer to their families, which will ease their reintegration into the community.

Mr. Speaker, our transformation strategy is based on evidence, not ideology.

And the evidence clearly shows that a broad range of community-based and custodial programs and services can reduce re-offending.

That’s why we’re committed to improving outcomes for youth by providing a wide range of programs and services that respond to their needs and strengths, moving away from a predominantly custody-based system .

I’m proud of our government’s investments in new programs that are now offered in many communities across Ontario.  These programs and community supports contribute to community safety and address the needs of not only youth, but their families and the communities in which they live.

We are also focusing on prevention. We want to help young people before they make the poor choices that will get them into conflict with the law.

The Review of the Roots of Youth Violence, co-chaired by Roy McMurtry and Alvin Curling, will help identify the root causes of violence involving youth, and provide recommendations to continue building safer, stronger communities and schools.

The consultation phase attracted more than 5,000 submissions in its online survey – and the review’s report and recommendations are expected to be released soon.

Through our Youth Opportunities Strategy we are supporting youth in underserved communities by providing expanded employment and training programs; introducing new student success programs; and making it easier for young people to access services through the hiring of outreach workers and a youth-focused website.

Mr. Speaker, we want to give all young people - including young people in the justice system - the support and opportunities they need so they can have a bright and successful future.

By recognizing the unique needs of youth in conflict with the law, we can help keep our communities safe and strong and we can help these young people make the right choices and be the best they can be.

Our proposed bill, the Child and Family Services Statute Law Amendment Act, 2008, is an important step in that direction.

Thank you.

 

Additional Information:

• News Release