NCJ Number
148275
Date Published
1993
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study attempts to understand how different judges would sentence the same young offenders, and to contribute to an understanding of the purposes judges are trying to serve in handing down dispositions to young offenders.
Abstract
Youth court judges from all regions of Canada were sent a booklet containing four hypothetical cases--two involving dispositions under the Young Offenders Act, one involving bail, and one involving transfer to adult court. All judges were asked to indicate what sentence they would give to each offender. They were also asked to respond to 12 questions concerning the importance of various factors in determining the disposition; one question regarding the relative importance of each goal of sentencing (punishment or denunciation, rehabilitation, general deterrence, individual deterrence, incapacitation); and one question calling for their views on whether the youths should have been brought to court. Tables, endnotes, references