Youth Crime in Canada, 2006

This report analyzes police-reported data on crimes committed by youth aged 12 to 17 in Canada in 2006. An examination of trends in youth crime since the 1991 peak as well as more recent trends with particular reference to the period following the implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) in 2003 is also presented.

The report distinguishes between violent crime, property crime, 'other' Criminal Code offences and drug-related offences. Changes in the use of formal charges versus alternate means to handle youth accused of a crime following the introduction of the YCJA are also examined. Other topics discussed include youth crimes occurring at school, the presence of weapons in youth crime, and changes to youth court caseloads and youth correctional services after the implementation of the YCJA. Data from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) are presented within the context of both short and long term trends and at the national, provincial and territorial levels. The data are intended to respond to the needs of those who work in the criminal justice system as well as to inform researchers, policy analysts, academics, the media and the public on the nature and extent of youth crime in Canada.