Section 4 — Youth Criminal Justice Act: Declaration of principles

The following principles apply in this Part in addition to the principles set out in section 3: extrajudicial measures are often the most appropriate and effective way to address youth crime; extrajudicial measures allow for effective and timely interventions focused on correcting offending behaviour; extrajudicial measures are presumed to be adequate to hold a young person accountable for his or her offending behaviour if the young person has committed a non-violent offence and has not previously been found guilty of an offence; and extrajudicial measures should be used if they are adequate to hold a young person accountable for his or her offending behaviour and, if the use of extrajudicial measures is consistent with the principles set out in this section, nothing in this Act precludes their use in respect of a young person who has previously been dealt with by the use of extrajudicial measures, or has previously been found guilty of an offence.