The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) came into force in 2003 to replace its predecessor, the Young Offenders Act (YOA). The principles of the YCJA set out in section 3 of the statute speak to some of the reasons why the federal government shifted its focus on how it dealt with young persons charged with criminal offences while under the age of 18. Subsequent amendments and judicial precedents have created a youth justice system that does its best to remember that young persons are not just tiny adults, but are persons who have not yet reached the same maturity and reasoning as the average adult person.
The YCJA applies to when a person is alleged to have committed an offence, not when that offence eventually concludes within the justice system. In order for a young person to be charged, per the YCJA, the young person must be at least 12 years of age. On the other end of the spectrum, a person can be charged as a young person so long as the allegation occurred before the young person turned 18 years of age. Beyond the age of 18, a person would be charged as an adult.
Youth Defence 
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