The Case(s) of Homicide Among Criminalized Young People in Canada

• In Event: Youth Violence

Abstract

Homicide is one of the most serious forms of offending, owing to the loss of an individual’s life. The idea of youth-involved homicide educes even greater societal and legal concerns. Yet many concerns may be misinformed and/or misconstrued due to a narrow body of related research and limited understanding of the complexities involved. This research uses quantitative data taken from a community sample of approximately 200 youth supervised on probation from Western Canada to explore the profiles of a small number of young people in the sample (n = 12; 6%) convicted of culpable homicide (i.e., first- or second-degree murder, or manslaughter). These youth profiles were compared to the profiles of non-homicide-involved youth to ascertain differences between youth convicted of and not convicted of homicide. We also drew on qualitative information from the larger sample of young people, as well as a small number of youth-involved homicide cases from CanLII (public legal database; n = 5), to further contextualize case(s) of youth homicide in Canadian youth courts. Findings reveal nuances that should be better understood by the courts and community/correctional/justice-related programming to enhance supports for young people who may be on a path to, and/or who have been convicted of homicide.

Authors

• Adrienne Peters, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador

• Amanda Champion, Simon Fraser University

• Marcel Rumbolt, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador