Merritt, Krys2025-05-012025-05-012025Merritt, K. (2025). Rethinking justice: Jurisdictional insights into alternatives to youth custody. University of Victoria.https://hdl.handle.net/1828/22099Over the past 22 years, Canada’s approach to youth justice has shifted dramatically. The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) applies to youth involved in the criminal justice system (CJS), and in 2019, this Act was amended with the goal of reducing the number of young people sentenced to custody by encouraging meaningful alternatives to incarceration while considering public safety (Department of Justice Canada, n.d.). The Government of British Columbia (BC) has implemented and sustained community-based programs in response to the amendment, resulting in relatively low youth crime and custody rates compared to other provinces and territories (Ministry of Children and Family Development, 2024). However, the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) has indicated that youth justice is a service area priority, and to better support young people, victims, and the community, MCFD is setting out to strengthen alternative measures and approaches for youth in the CJS (Ministry of Children and Family Development, 2024).enReport