Norm Boss unveils recommendations on youth justice system

The province's child and youth advocate is releasinga report at this hourwith 10 recommendations surrounding youth and the criminal justice system.

Norman Bosssays the report's recommendations aren't severe,but will hopefully treat youth criminals differently than adults.

"Our recommendations to government are reasonable, we are not asking for a new system," he said prior to the unveiling in Moncton.

"But we should not be incarcerating youth like we are presently."

Boss's report is called, "More Care Less Court: Keeping Youth out of the Criminal Justice System."

[We] should not be incarcerating youth like we are presently.- Norman Boss

The Conservative government made changes to the Youth Criminal Justice Act in 2012, changes Bosssays were tougher on youth.

"In each permutation of the act there was a new philosophy that doesn't work."

The changes included an expanded definition of violent offence, mandatorycustody in youth facilities regardless of whether they are given a youth or adult punishment andmade it easier to keep violent and repeat accused youths in custody before trial.

Michael Boudreau, a criminologist atSt. Thomas University, sayshe wants to see these recommendations put in place in New Brunswick.

"Theuse of pre-trial detention must be limited andmore training needs to be provided to prosecutors on theYouth Criminal JusticeAct and youth mental health and welfare matters," he says.

Boudreau says these recommendations are necessary for New Brunswick to move forward.

"These recommendations are crucial in order to dramatically improve the way that New Brunswick deals with youth-at-risk and youth who break the law,," said Boudreau.

"For example, youth justice committees are long overdue in New Brunswick and they need to be put in placeacross the province as soon as possible."

Youth justice committees havebeen already established in other provinces. The committees bring together the victim, offender and other affected community members to resolve conflicts through talking and negotiating.

Bosssaid hewants jail time to be a last resort for small offences.

"Things like breach of probation, shoplifting, these types minor offences we have to treat the youth a bit differently than we did in the '60s," he says.

Bernard Richard, a former child and youth advocate, made a 2010 presentationto the House of Commons standing committee on justice and human rights to call the Youth Criminal Justice Act reforms a step backwards.