News release

Bulletin: Effective Laws, Swift Consequences for Breaking Them

Justice

Effective Laws

Law-making is a shared responsibility among the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Within provincial jurisdiction:

  • The province has shut down illegal operations at 25 sites, using the new Safer Streets and Communities Act, which came into effect in January.
  • The Protection from Illegal Drugs Act will soon be proclaimed, regulating the storage, transportation, distribution, and sale of ingredients and equipment used to produce illegal drugs.
  • The province has proposed legislation, and the creation of a Proceeds of Crime Unit, that would have the power to seize assets related to criminal activities or purchased from the profits of crime.

Some of the laws of greatest concern to Nova Scotians, most notably, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, are under the sole jurisdiction of the federal government. The province has persistently lobbied the federal government to amend this act, in particular, to provide more flexibility to the courts to hold a youth accused of a serious crime in custody. Those efforts are paying off, with federal amendments to the act now introduced. As well, the federal government has committed to a full review of the act in 2008.

Swift Consequences

Offenders should experience consequences, as soon as is realistically possible, after a crime is committed. This is particularly significant for youth. As part of our overall plan to reduce case-processing delays (see p. 26, Time to Fight Crime Together), the province will work in partnership with community agencies to hire youth liaison workers to reduce the number of youth who arrive unprepared at arraignment. This will avoid rescheduling arraignments, thereby shortening the time between when a crime is committed and when the youth is convicted or acquitted.

Youth liaison workers will work with young people from the time the police lay the charge until the arraignment to ensure that the youth is well prepared, has contacted legal aid, and knows when to attend court. This project is based on the youth court case-management process (including youth court workers) used by the Mi'kmaw Legal Support Network.

Investment: Proceeds of Crime Unit $300,000 Youth Liaison Court Workers $120,000 Sites: -- Proceeds of Crime Unit, provincewide -- Youth Court Liaison Truro, Halifax Regional Municipality Strategy Link: Enforcement, see pp. 25-27, 31. Time to Fight Crime Together

The complete crime prevention strategy is available online at www.gov.ns.ca .