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Criminal Justice Policy Review
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Structuring Police Discretion

The Effect on Referrals to Youth Court

Peter J. Carrington

University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Jennifer L. Schulenberg

Sam Houston State University

This article examines the impact of the Youth Criminal Justice Act of 2002 on police discretion with apprehended young offenders in Canada. Data for 1986 to 2005 from the Canadian Uniform Crime Reporting Survey are analyzed using an interrupted time series design. The Youth Criminal Justice Act was successful in achieving its objective of reducing youth court referrals by structuring police discretion. It caused a substantial change in the exercise of police discretion with apprehended youth: a substantial decrease in the use of charges and a corresponding increase in the use of alternatives to charging. The substitution of extrajudicial measures for charges occurred in all four regions of Canada and was much greater with minor offenses than with serious youth crime. Possible reasons for the success of the Youth Criminal Justice Act are discussed.

Key Words: police discretion • youth court referrals • extrajudicial measures • young offenders • Youth Criminal Justice Act

Criminal Justice Policy Review, Vol. 19, No. 3, 349-367 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0887403407307240
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Home page
 International Criminal Justice ReviewHome page
J. L. Schulenberg and D. M. Warren
Content and Adequacy of Specialized Police Training to Handle Youth-Related Incidents: Perceptions of Trainers, Supervisors, and Frontline Officers
International Criminal Justice Review, December 1, 2009; 19(4): 456 - 477.
[Abstract] [PDF]