Alternatives to Custody
The Youth Criminal Justice Act says that the court must not give a youth a custodial sentence unless the court has considered all other reasonable options (alternatives to custody).
The court must not sentence you to custody unless you have:
- not obeyed community-based sentences;
- committed a violent crime;
- committed an indictable offence for which an adult could be ordered to serve more than two years in jail and you have a criminal history with a pattern of findings of guilt; or
- committed an indictable offence so serious that a custody sentence is necessary.
Factors Considered
Some factors considered when determining whether there are reasonable alternatives to custody are:
