Understanding the Correlation between Youth, Poverty, and Criminality in Canada

The Government of Canada’s department of Public Safety released a fictional story depicting the birth and life of a youth offender. Tyler’s story is based on true events and the reality that youths in Canada face every day.

Tyler’s Story

Before Tyler was even born he, was in danger of becoming a youth offender. 

Tyler was born to a working single mother who was 17 years old when she gave birth to him. His father was a drug dealer and was incarcerated at the beginning of Tyler’s life. At the early age of 3 years old, Tyler started demonstrating violent behaviour and anger issues due to neglect, physical, and verbal abuse from his father. 

By the age of 6 years old he was already in the foster system, moving from house to house and failing school. Due to being bullied because of his family situation, being diagnosed with ADHD, and not having any friends Tyler became physically violent. 

Tyler’s behaviour gained the interest of the neighbourhood youth delinquents at the age of 11 and started spending his free time with them. 

At 12 years old he began stealing from convenience stores and destroying public property. In his first year of high school at the age of 14, he was arrested for breaking and entering and theft under $5,000. 

He was told by the judge to write a note and repay the victim for the damages. He did not comply with the judges orders. Furthering his criminal record and pushing him down the funnel of the Canadian Criminal Justice System. 

How is Crime Defined

Crime is defined in the Canadian Encyclopedia as an act by a person that breaks legal legislation that upholds order of a community.

Criminology theorists define crime as a violation of a relationship that a person has with the state, another person, or their community.

Both definitions of crime rely on a person committing an act that a whole community deems as wrong and that person should be held accountable. These violations of relationships have substantial consequences based on the severity of the crime being committed. 

Definition of Youth Offenders

A youth is defined as a person that is between the ages of 12 to 17 years of age outlined in the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

A crime that is committed by a youth offender is a violation of the Criminal Code of Canada. 

These crimes include: 

• Violent
• Non-Violent
• Traffic 
• Other federal offences outlined in Canadian Legislation. 

The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) is a part of Canadian legislation established in 2003. This legislation was made to help youths that come into contact with the criminal justice system. This is meant to uphold a youths’ legal rights for the types of crimes committed above.

Youth Population Statistics in Canada in from 2020 to 2021

Single parent families are five times more likely to experience poverty than two-parent families.

Poverty Level of Single Parents with Children by Age in 2020:

• 6% of children aged 0 – 5 years old live with a single parent
• 3.8% of children aged 6 – 17 years old live with a single parent

These statistics increase substantially when a woman is the single parent. 

Poverty Level of Female Single Parents with Children by Age in 2020:

• 31% for children aged 0 – 5 years old
• 16% for children aged 6 – 17 years old

Statistics on youth and family structure in 2021:

• 27.7% are under the age of 18 years old
• 26,675 youths were in foster care system
• 16.4% of youth lived in a single parent home 
• 21% of single family home youths live with their father

When looking at this information, you must take into account the Covid-19 pandemic that took place from 2020 to 2022. The Canadian Emergency Response Benefit was in place to provide those with little to no income at the time with money due to unemployment. 

Due to Statistics Canada not releasing a new report, there has not been an update of Canadian poverty level statistics for 2022 or 2023.  

Why does the Family Structure Matter?

Understanding how a youth is raised can help with the understanding of how a youth ends up detained in a youth detention centre or eventually in federal prison. 

This stems from family structures and their socio-economic status. Socio-economic status is the classification of social standards based on housing, education, work, family structure, and relationships with the community.

If a family structure does not have access to these basic needs due to poverty levels and the lack of resources, can result in youth following the same path that Tyler did.

Poverty and single family structures are not the sole source of youth criminal activity. But there is a direct correlation and one of the main underlying reasons for committing criminal acts as a youth.  

As seen above in Tyler’s story, he was born into a lower socio-economic status family. His mother was 17 years old when she gave brith to him. She was working as a single mother to try and provide for him. Tyler was also neglected by his criminal father and was abused when he was a child. 

All of these factors stem from socioeconomic status, that resulted into Tyler’s delinquent behaviour, and criminal path.