An Act to amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts

Short title: Sébastien's Law (Protecting the Public from Violent Young Offenders) Bill C-4 (40-3) Status: At consideration in committee in the House of Commons Type: House Government Bill Sponsor: Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice (Niagara Falls) Latest stage: Second reading

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On 16 March 2010, the Minister of Justice introduced Bill C-4,

An Act to amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act (Sébastien’s Law (Protecting the Public from Violent Young Offenders)) and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts in the House of Commons and it was given first reading.

The bill amends the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Among other things, it

• makes protection of society a primary goal of the act; • adds denunciation and deterrence to sentencing principles; • requires the Crown to consider seeking adult sentences for youth convicted of certain violent crimes, including murder, attempted murder, manslaughter and aggravated assault.

The Crown would also be required to inform the court should they chose not to apply for an adult sentence; • requires that offenders under the age of 18 who are sentenced to custody will be placed in youth facilities only, even if they receive an adult sentence; • defines the terms “violent offence” and “serious offence”, amends the definition “serious violent offence” and repeals the definition “presumptive offence”; • allows the custody of young persons where they have committed an indictable offence for which an adult would be liable to imprisonment for a term of more than two years and has a history that indicates a pattern of extrajudicial sanctions; • in respect of pre-trial detention rules, detains youths charged with a “serious offence” while he or she awaits trial; and • requires the courts to consider lifting the publication ban on the names of young offenders convicted of “violent offences,” when youth sentences are given.

The bill also requires police forces to keep records of extrajudicial measures used to deal with young persons, in order to make it easier to identify patterns of re-offending. House of Commons — First reading: Completed (2010-03-16) House of Commons — Second reading: Completed (2010-05-03) House of Commons — Consideration in committee: Not completed

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