Debates of October 20, 2004 (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in keeping with my Member’s statement earlier today with respect to youth in our communities that are having a difficult time with certain issues, I had posed my questions previously to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I’d now like to ask some questions to the Minister of Justice on the same vein, and I hope the Minister of Justice will show a little more enthusiasm for the problem and the issue because it is very, very serious and I don’t want to hear oh, there’s really nothing we can do, and it’s a complicated issue. I know it’s a complicated issue. Mr. Speaker, as a result of a change in legislation as federally mandated regarding young offenders, has there been a decrease in the number of young offenders who have been charged and incarcerated in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 269-15(3): Impact Of Youth Criminal Justice Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue is complex and it does involve or require a cross-jurisdictional, or cross-departmental response. One of the ways in which we’re hoping to deal with that is that the social envelope is working together to try and improve on case management so that we have people in the communities who work in the different departments, whether it’s Justice, Health and Social Services, or corrections, to deal with people in a case management process. We are hoping that we are going to be able to improve the way in which we deal with people who have challenges that need to be addressed.

When the Youth Criminal Justice Act was first introduced in Canada, we did see a reduction in the numbers of people who were incarcerated. It was fairly dramatic. It was something that we had expected because when previous changes to the Young Offenders Act had been brought in, we saw the same sort of reduction in the incarcerates. What we expected was that as time went on we would see an increase in numbers, and to date we are seeing an increase in the last few months over what we had seen right after the passage of the act. So, yes, there has been a substantial decrease in the numbers of people incarcerated under the Youth Criminal Justice Act compared to the Young Offenders Act, but we are seeing a trend where the numbers are increasing in our facilities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 269-15(3): Impact Of Youth Criminal Justice Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So if there are fewer young offenders being incarcerated, then it follows that there are other options and alternatives that are contemplated when these young people do run into trouble with the law. I would like to know what those alternatives are at the community level. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 269-15(3): Impact Of Youth Criminal Justice Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, most communities in the Northwest Territories have a youth justice committee and, for the most part, young offenders are diverted to that committee. So residents in the community can decide what is an effective and appropriate manner of dealing with offenders. What it takes is an agreement or acknowledgement by the offender that they have committed an offence, and a willingness to work with the community to deal with that offence in an appropriate way. That is by far the biggest option that we have for young offenders in our communities across the North, but we are also operating programming for young folks at risk. For instance, in Arctic Tern the staff there have developed some programming that is offered to young people who are at risk but who have not been charged with offences, to try and help them develop the skills that it will take to keep them out of the facility. So there is some programming that has been undertaken from our department to try and deal with people like this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 269-15(3): Impact Of Youth Criminal Justice Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, by the way, I’m very encouraged to hear that the Arctic Tern is not just being used as a facility for incarceration, but that there is programming that is available as an alternative. That’s the first time that I heard that. I don’t sit on the Social Programs committee anymore, and that is very good news. That’s the kind of innovative, responsive way we need to deal with some of these issues. We have to think outside of how things have traditionally been done. Is there any other programming, Mr. Speaker, available to assist communities besides the youth justice committees? Is there any other assistance through the Department of Justice available to help communities who are dealing with issues of vandalism and crimes committed by youth? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 269-15(3): Impact Of Youth Criminal Justice Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department has funded one RCMP officer to work as a community liaison person. That position has worked with the organizations in Yellowknife, Inuvik and Norman Wells. So there is a resource available from the RCMP to help, for instance, organize committees like the Wellness Coalition in Yellowknife. So, yes, there are programs available to help communities. We generally try and work through the justice committees in communities, because we have the infrastructure there to focus our activities. So they tend to be the focus, but we do provide other resources, yes.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 269-15(3): Impact Of Youth Criminal Justice Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it would assure me if I knew that young people who are incarcerated in young offenders’ facilities were able to receive programming which would address some of the issues in their lives which lead them to be in trouble with the law in the first place. I know, for example, through the young offenders’ facility in Hay River, at one time they did have a very good lands program for the youth which is intended to rehabilitate them. I think it was a program with a considerable amount of merit. So could the Minister please tell us, for those who are incarcerated in young offenders’ facilities, is there adequate programming now to help them deal with the issues that got them there in the first place? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 269-15(3): Impact Of Youth Criminal Justice Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a wide range of programming available for young offenders in our facilities, everything from schooling to special programs aimed at troubled youth. The On-the-Land programs have had a bit of a setback in the recent past because we haven’t had enough people incarcerated to have the interest in going out to that kind of facility. The other problem we face, of course, is there has to be a willingness on the part of the person incarcerated to attend an On-the-Land program. They can’t be forced to attend it. But we have, in the past, offered those kinds of programs and we do offer a considerable range of programming aimed at helping young people get their lives back in order. I know that I’ve personally spent some time in the school at the young offenders’ facility here in Yellowknife, and I was quite surprised to see the range of programming that they can get involved in. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.