Kid crime skyrockets

If anyone wants to see how well Canada's youth laws are working, check out Statistic's Canada's latest data on gun crimes among youths.

They're skyrocketing.

According to StatsCan, the number of youths aged 12 to 17 charged with a firearm-related crime jumped in 2006 for the third time in four years.

Firearm-related offences among youth soared a staggering 32% from 2002 to 2006.

Shouldn't this be setting off alarm bells for the folks in our justice system?

The one-third increase, according to StatsCan, is attributed largely to an increase in armed robberies.

You know, teenagers holding up convenience stores and gas bars with hand guns and sawed-off shotguns?

Coincidentally -- or maybe not so coincidentally -- the four years covers the period following the implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act in 2003.

What the stats show is the YCJA, at least where gun crimes are concerned, is not working.

Sure, overall youth crime has been on the decline. But certain specific youth crimes -- including some of the most serious ones out there such as firearm-related offences -- are soaring.

According to Statistics Canada, youth crime fell 6% in 2005. That's the figure the criminologists like to use when they tell us the media exaggerates crime.

But if you look at some of the more serious crimes, the opposite is true.

For example, in 2005, youth homicides were up 47%, attempted murder jumped 11%, aggravated assault was up 6% and robbery jumped 9% that year.

Firearm-related crimes among youth, including armed robbery, is one of the most egregious crimes out there.

And when that category of crime jumps at the rate it has -- over four years -- you can't ignore it. It's not a statistical blip.

Human nature

Does the extreme leniency of the YCJA, which emphasizes non-jail time even for violent offenders, have anything to do with it?

You can't prove it either way.

But human nature is such that when kids know they can rob a gas bar with a firearm and get a slap on the wrist for it, there's little to discourage them from carrying out the crime.

You don't need a social work degree or a PhD in criminology to know that. It's common sense.

Unfortunately, common sense sometimes gets hijacked by social work gobbledegook and society loses sight of those very basic human traits.

These kids aren't stupid. They talk among themselves. And they know very well they can dupe the adults in the justice system, feign remorse and capitalize on the system's well-meaning -- but grossly misguided -- philosophy that young, violent offenders should be coddled rather than held accountable for their crimes.

It's common knowledge.

My question is, what kind of data do justice officials need to be convinced the status quo is not working?

Do firearm-related offences among youth have to jump 50%? How about 75%? Do they have to double in four years?

What's the magic number?

I'd sure like to know.