The evolution of legislation to promote youth justice in Canada can be traced back to the mid-19th century, when criminal laws specifically targeting young children were enacted. The first piece of juvenile legislation was the Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA). The introduction of this was around 1908, and under this law, the state was required to take care of children in need of guidance or neglected and to act as a parent. This law failed around the 1960s and several criticisms surfaced leading to its replacement with the Young Offenders Act (YOA), although this occurred around 1984. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay When it comes to the civil rights of young people, the Juvenile Delinquent Act has failed. Through the protection of society, the YOA sought to ensure equity between youth's special needs and due process rights. The Young Offenders Act also received some criticism which led to several amendments to replace it. Around 1997 the Young Criminal Justice Act replaced YOA. My position is; However, the juvenile system has failed to solve the problem of youth criminal activities, as it has played a more important role in reforming and rehabilitating young criminals. All pieces of juvenile legislation have similar motivations in one way or another, including promoting the well-being of children and adolescents, as well as fighting for their rights and needs. Comparing these acts helps to understand my position in detail. These legislations are important in Canada and to society in addressing social issues. The criminal activity of adolescents and young children regarding social issues is the most substantial. It is difficult to control the criminal actions of youth due to various reasons, including the harshness of justice systems in dealing with the criminal activities of adults compared to the illegal activities of children and adolescents. It raises fears that it is difficult to control youth criminal activities. The juvenile justice system becomes responsible for protecting society from crime, and victims of crime are held accountable. However, youth criminal activity offers a clear picture of some social problems that must first be taken into account and at least solved. These social conditions are associated with youth crime and include unemployment, poverty, racial prejudice, family conflict and others. First developing solutions to these social conditions should be the first action to solve youth crime. It becomes one of the reasons why the acts failed, drawing criticism. The Juvenile Delinquents Act being the first piece of legislation, it was formed to address crimes committed by young people. The action mandated that juvenile delinquents should be treated differently from ordinary citizens and should not be classified as adult criminals. The act was not intended to punish but to reform or rehabilitate youths who had committed criminal activities. According to this bill, young delinquents were not considered criminals but delinquents. They were understood as subjects of poverty, desertion and abuse who had not been raised well by their parents. They committed the crimes because some needs were missing. Therefore, the state could not keep the children in custody. Juvenile courts rarely had lawyers. Formally there were no rules regarding the crimes of young delinquents. Therefore, probation officers, judges and police imposed judgment on young children who committed crimes. In the.