Criminal law

Other Infosheets

What is a “conference”?

As its name suggests, a conference is a group of people. This group is responsible for making recommendations to the various professionals who work with adolescents facing the youth criminal justice system. The conference can be asked to submit recommendations about extrajudicial measures, conditional release, sentencing, and on any plan for reintegration. The law encourages the use of a conference, but it is not mandatory. It is important to note that the group’s role is limited to making recommendations; it cannot make the final decision.

A conference examines the adolescent’s environment in order to better understand his situation. This can be a good tool to help a judge render a decision that will be as beneficial as possible for the youth.

The court can call for a conference composed of people from various social and cultural backgrounds. These individuals can offer insight into the youth’s life.

Who can participate in a conference?

The members of a conference are chosen based on the circumstances. The conference could include the adolescent, his parents, the victim and his parents, a group of people who are familiar with the youth and his social situation, and even experts like social workers or psychologists.

In our example, the judge might set up and consult a group of people who live in Sam’s town, including the grocery store owner. After all, who better to tell the court about the reality of young people in the region than the townspeople themselves?

Basically, the members will be chosen from among people who can help the judge look at the situation from the clearest possible perspective.

When can a conference be used?

Each professional who has the power to make a decision regarding the youth can ask for the advice of a conference. Conferences can be convened at different stages in the youth criminal justice process. Here are a few examples:

• Following the arrest of an adolescent, the police officer can consult a conference before imposing an extrajudicial measure on the youth. The group might advise the officer to give the adolescent a warning, or it might recommend pressing charges if the seriousness of the offence makes an extrajudicial measure inappropriate;
  
  
• The Crown prosecutor can ask for the advice of a conference when she is setting conditions for the provisional release of a detained adolescent. This can be helpful since the Crown prosecutor often has limited knowledge of the youth’s life circumstances;
  
  
• Finally, the youth worker can ask for the advice of a conference in order to develop a reintegration plan for the youth.

Conferences are set up to make recommendations, not to make decisions about the youth. They can be very helpful because of the extensive knowledge that its members have about the adolescent’s situation. By looking into the causes of the adolescent’s behaviour and pointing him in the right direction, these groups can reduce his likelihood of reoffending and can help increase public safety in the long run.