Appendix B: Young Adults and How Their Needs Are Being Served in Canada’s Correctional System Kick-off Workshop Communiqué

March 12, 2020

Representatives from federal, provincial, and territorial (FPT) organizations responsible for justice and corrections policy and programs met in Ottawa on March 12, 2020, to discuss the state of young adults in Canada’s justice and correctional systems. The purpose of this workshop was to better understand what is happening across Canada with respect to young adults in the criminal justice system, learn from Canada’s success with respect to youth justice reform, and to begin charting a course for change and innovation to better serve the needs of these young adults.

Participants had a very open, positive, and productive discussion, establishing some key points that can guide the way for future action.

Canada’s approach to youth justice reform under the Youth Justice Renewal Initiative, notwithstanding some critical gaps for Indigenous and Black youth, has been a resounding, bipartisan success story. We have fundamentally changed our approach to youth justice with an emphasis on programs and support that have led to declining incarceration and crime rates, underutilized detention facilities, and promoted real desistance and reintegration back into communities.

This success story ends for young people past the age of 18, as they age out of available resources suitable to their needs and enter the adult system. Science and the experience of practitioners show us that young adults have many of the same key characteristics as youth – maturing brains, vulnerability to negative influence, educational and social needs, and more – that make this age cohort a natural next target for reform. We have an opportunity to learn from our own experience and change how we deal with and treat young adults in conflict with the law.

Our potential for positive change is vast. However, making a real impact will require a coordinated approach across many disciplines, and involving legislative, cultural, infrastructure, and program reforms that simply cannot be undertaken by any one group or government. The issues and barriers facing young adults cross many boundaries and demand concerted action united under a shared vision.

We are at the beginning stages of defining a new vision for young adults in Canada’s justice system. While no decisions have been taken, nor any firm commitment agreed upon, meeting participants are excited about leading this transformative change. As a first step, we propose carrying-out a detailed environmental scan, to build a shared understanding of the latest research, program innovation, and critical data that will inform our vision going forward. Following this, the parties resolve to work together to define a process for continuing the conversation and helping chart the course for improved service and support for young adults in the justice system. This project, and the participants that came together are an expression of co-development amongst FPT governments, working together to find common ground and consensus.

We look forward to developing a positive and inclusive vision that can propel lasting change.