Young Offenders In Canada compared to child soldiers

“Reintegration, which is essential for sustainable return, is defined by the Office of the UN High

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as the ‘universal enjoyment of full political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights’”.1

The study of peace seeks to understand society and improve how we relate to ourselves and each other. This means that we work on areas that are identified as harmful to the current situation. Violence and crime are such elements. The question of what to do with those that act violently or commit crimes is a difficult one. The difficulty increases when the perpetrator is a child.

The area of concern for this article deals with youth who have been through reintegration programs. Throughout the article examples from child soldier reintegration programs and young offenders in Canada will be used. At the outset it appears that we are dealing with individuals. The reality of reintegration is that the entire society needs to be prepared and supported. The goal is to improve the lives of the children as well as ensure a safe society for everyone else.

There are cases where children choose to be soldiers or gang members. Such cases were popular in

Uganda as many had seen the Ugandan army as a safe haven. Even in such cases, a child feels there is no other alternative for survival. “Joining violence is sometimes the only way to survive and  protect our families. We need another way.”2

We must take note that many youth return to familiar settings if they experience struggle and isolation from the community they live in. Child soldiers face poor scholastic skills, very little job opportunities and they are often looked upon with fear and mistrust. These are similar circumstances for a youth that lives in transition or halfway houses. A sound reintegration program must seek to minimize both the fear and distrust.

In Canada we have what is called the Youth Criminal Act. The goal of the Youth Criminal Justice Act

states under Declaration of Principle 3(1)(a) that the youth criminal justice system is intended to:

i prevent crime by addressing person’s offending behaviour,

ii rehabilitate young persons who commit offences and reintegrate them into society, and

iii ensure that a young person is subject to meaningful consequences for his or her offence

The return to a peaceful society is enveloped throughout all three points which ‘‘promote . . .

rehabilitation and reintegration into society’’3 of the offending youth.

In addition to the Youth Criminal Act, there are many programs and organizations for both communities and youth to help with reintegration. One such organization is the John Howard Society. The philosophy employed by the John Howard Society states, “to treat offenders in such a way that having served their sentence, they are able to return to the life of a normal citizen better able to participate constructively in society”.4 Other organizations such as the St. Leonard’s Community Services and United Way offer similar programs.

For child soldiers, the popular system in which we (the world) employ is known as Disarm, Demobilize and Reintegrate (DDR). What is DDR? “DDR refers to the process of demilitarizing official and unofficial armed groups by controlling and reducing the possession and use of weapons, by disbanding non-state armed groups and former combatants to reintegrate into civilian life.”5 “Ultimately, child soldier DDR programmes are aimed at removing children from a context of violence and delivering them to a safe place where they can complete their development in a nurturing environment.”6 On a basic level of comparison, child soldiers and young offenders reintegration programs have very similar goals. Those goals are to transform a person’s life into a positive element for society.

The reintegration process is a difficult step in that the repeated offence is a real risk. The challenge is to prevent the child from falling back into the cycle of crime, war or gang violence. To do that, each system has to deal with the psychological factors of the youth. In addition, we have to be mindful of the environment in which youth live, are rehabilitated and then reintegrated into.

For child soldiers the support for psychological aid is minimal. “International groups have advocated for the rehabilitation of child soldiers, but children are often overlooked during official implementation”.7 In Canada there are a great many programs yet the challenge is that most programs are based on self-referral.

It was not surprising to find that life circumstances of both child soldier and young offender are similar. The child soldier obviously lives in a war zone and the society at large is broken. For the young offender, their circumstances may be dysfunctional and possibly broken on a community level. Both these environments will have a great impact on the psychological development of the child. “Community disorganization, the availability of drugs, and knowing adults involved in criminal activities were associated with an increased risk for youth involvement in violence.”8 The dual task of a reintegration program is to rebuild the individual as well as society.
Within the goal of rebuilding society there is a strong element of transformational peace. To aid in the transition process there are Truth and Reconciliation Programs and Restorative Justice Programs. Each program needs individuals and the community to tell their stories. Story telling gives people a chance to express their experience during the breakdown of peace. For the youth who become involved in crime or become soldiers, story telling is vital for understanding the circumstances and the state of being a child is in. “In order to find out the root causes for wrong-doings, the entire lived experiences of the people involved must be considered”.9

The above quote speaks to the enormous task that lays ahead for a reintegration program. The healing process encompasses the life history of all involved. One of the earliest points of discovery was the sense of responsibility of the child soldiers to heal the community. This sense of responsibility was not as prevalent in the young offender’s research.

“We agree that we have destroyed this country. And it is us – the young people – that should be empowered to rebuild our communities… We need basic training to make this country good again. It can’t be the NGOs that do all the work for us. It has to be us.” – Young man, 18, Liberia10

Even if the sense of social responsibility does exist it may have endured an injury too great to heal. In essence, a reintegration program needs to rebuild that sense of community. This rebuild is very much a psychological rebuild, which gave rise to the Right to Play organization. “Psychosocial and mental health services is of great importance for the empowerment and reintegration of vulnerable war survivors”.11

“The psychological factor is a deeply intricate element. Often child soldiers or gang members are forced into servitude through outright abduction, threat of death, physical confinement, and fear.12 Each child will react in their own way to such experiences. What needs to be kept as a focus is the long term care in which society needs on a continual basis to heal and improve. Understanding the circumstance which brings about war and crime will assist in preparing youth for reintegration. The main focus is how to ensure youth do not revert to past methods or violent methods.

As we focus on the issue of a youth not reverting back to a life of violence and crime, the two

components of rehabilitation and reintegration become a transitional plan. We must realize that

reintegration can not take place until rehabilitation is complete or satisfactory.

With both cases of young offenders and child soldiers, we must think about community security where the reintegration will take place. “Essentially community security relates to perceptions/belief in a sense of trusting neighbours and participation in and belonging to a community.”13  Below are six points which Corrections Services Canada have been advised to implement to improve reintegration performances.

a) clear statements of offender accountability with respect to expected behaviour in the community;

b) focus on the need for the extension of correctional interventions that link penitentiary program results with the identification of behavioural, educational and employment programs in the community;

c) a well-defined approach to the definition and implementation of transitional employment initiatives;

d) identification of mental health interventions consistent with penitentiary assessments and available community service delivery infrastructure; Report of the Correctional Service of Canada Review Panel

e) clear linkages to the identification and responsibilities of community residential facilities targeted to provide specialized accommodation and program service delivery support in the community; and

f) description of conditions recommended to the National Parole Board by CSC.14

These six points are reflected in many child soldier reintegration programs/process as well. Both the

child soldier and the young offender face a battle with identity. For child soldiers the rehabilitation

process of psychological identity is the largest hurdle to overcome before a reintegration process can begin. “What had become accepted forms of behaviour during war are considered reprehensible in peace-time, which undermines the sense of identity and courage that youth had created as fighters”.15  

Along with the identity issue, both soldier and offender may encounter issues of being asked or forced back into the violence. This is even more of a concern if they exceled in their duties. For the young offender in Canada, jail time will immerse them into a life they may have only had limited knowledge or experience with. “Throughout the history of incarceration, it has been the pervasive tendency of prisons to make prisoners more dangerous and more antisocial”.16

The life inside a prison is an abnormal situation as is the life of a child soldier. As the process of

rehabilitation and reintegration take place, there will be a large factor of community acceptance when the reintegration phase begins. “Informed and engaged citizens and communities are integral to safe offender reintegration.17 Both the soldier and offender depend on the communities to accept and support them as they strive to succeed.

One of the challenges that differ between child soldiers and young offenders rests with the attitudes towards the crimes committed. “Former child soldiers across the world are most likely to express regret at having committed crimes, and indicate a desire to complete their education or become valuable members of society”.18 In contrast, “A common frustration expressed was the lack of motivation displayed by a significant percentage of younger offenders. There seems to be a growing tendency by some offenders to wait out the system until they reach their release date”.19

The challenge that face reintegration are the time frames mandated or determined by law or financial limits. These restraints are a factor for how long a child soldier will be in rehabilitation, if at all. “Knowing that development funds will be available can put leaders in a better position to convince their own soldiers to comply, thereby avoiding splinter groups”.20 The issue of funding of DDR programs is one that proves to be a difficult problem as there is a strong need for long term funding to deal with the psychological damages of child soldiers. “Save the Children UK no longer has a DDR programme in eastern DRC. This is primarily due to lack of funding”.21

In Canada the reintegration process has its share of difficulties as well. During an interview with Social Workers in Nova Scotia, they pointed to the self-referral system as a possible barrier. “Few youth will acknowledge that they need help, whether the issue is addictions, breaking patterns of social intelligence, conflict management or behaviour”.22

As the programs develop to help with reintegration, historical methods and understanding are becoming more prevalent. In Canada we are using methods such as restorative justice. These programs work to bring the total society that has been impacted by crime together. Such a program is congruent with a transformational ideology.

In conclusion, the research has highlighted the need for a greater effort and support of youth

reintegration programs. In tandem with those needs, leaders within our communities must work to

stem the initial causes for youth to become involved with crime. Further to those needs, a clear

partnership with the youth to allow them to feel as part of society is necessary. Also, we need to

support the process for youth to have the wisdom, courage and desire to recognize and ask for help. All too often we have a fractured sense of community, which has eroded due to the fear of crime.

1 Haider, Huma. Initiatives and Obstacles to Reintegration in Divided Communities: UNHCR’s Imagine Coexistence Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Governance and Social Development Resource Centre, International Development Department, University of Birmingham, 2012. Pg.,6

2 Machel Study 10-year strategic Review. Will you Listen? Young voices from conflict zones. Children and Conflict in a Changing World. UNICEF. 2007. Pg., 4.

3Bala, Nicolas, Peter J. Carrington and Julian V. Roberts. Evaluating the Youth Criminal Justice Act after Five Years: A Qualified Success. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Toronto University Press. April, 2009, pg., 159.

4 John Howard Society. Perspectives on corrections: Towards a Philosophy of Corrections. 7 July 1985.pg., 2.

5 Ball, Nicole and Luc van de Goor. Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration: Mapping Issues, Dilemmas and Guiding Principles. Netherlands Institute of International Relations: Clingendael Conflict Research Unit. August 2006. Pg., 1.

6 Elettra, Pauletto and Preete Patel. Challenging Child Soldier DDR Processes and Policies in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Journal of Peace, Conflict and Development, Is. 16, November 2010.pg,42.

7 Odeh, Michael and Colin Sullivan. Children in Armed Conflict: Recent Developments in International Rehabilitation of Child Soldiers. Youth Advocate Program International Resource Paper. Pg.,1 http://www.yapi.org/rpchildsoldierrehab.pdf.

8 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Juvenile Justice Bulletin: Predictors of Youth Violence.U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. April 2000.Pg., 7.

9 Clairmont, Don and Jane McMillan. Directions in Mi’Kmaq Justice: An Evaluation of the Mi’Kmaq Justice Institute and its Aftermath. The Tripartite Forum:Justice Subcommittee. May 2001. Pg., 22.

10 United Nations Report. The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, Will You Listen: Young voices from conflict zones. 1996. Pg., 18.

11 Ventevogel,Peter Herman, Ndayisaba and Willem van de Put Psychosocial assistance and decentralised mental health care in post conflict Burundi 2000 -08. Intervention 2011, Volume 9, Number 3, Pg., 316.

12 Department of Justice, Canada. Gang Prevention: A Resource Guide on Youth and Gangs. 2003. Pg.,5

13 Willems, Rens, Willemijin Verkoren, Maria Derks, Jesper Kleingeld, Georg Frerks, Hans Rouw. Security Promotion in Fragile States: Can local Meet National? Exploring the Connections between Community Security and Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration. Peace Security and Development Network. August 2009. Pg., 6.

14 Sampson, Rob, Report of the Correctional Service of Canada Review Panel: A Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety. Government of Canada, 2007. Pg., 107.

15 Ozerdem, Alpaslan and Sukanya Podder. Disarming youth Combatants: Mitigating Youth Radicalization and Violent Extremism. Journal of Strategic Security, Vol 4. Iss. 4, 2011. Pg., 70.

16 JACKSON, MICHAEL AND GRAHAM STEWART. Fear-Driven Policy: Ottawa’s harsh new penal proposals won’t make us safer, just poorer — and less humane. The Literary Review of Canada, May 2010, pg., 3.

17 Sampson, Rob, Report of the Correctional Service of Canada Review Panel: A Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety. Government of Canada, 2007. Pg., 121.

18 Elettra Pauletto and Preete Patel. Challenging Child Soldier DDR Processes and Policies in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Journal of Peace, Conflict and Development, Is. 16, November 2010.pg,50.

19 Sampson, Rob, Report of the Correctional Service of Canada Review Panel: A Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety. Government of Canada, 2007. Pg., 107.

20 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sweden. Stockholm Initiative on Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration: Testing principles. 2006. Pg., 48.

21 Elettra Pauletto and Preete Patel. Challenging Child Soldier DDR Processes and Policies in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Journal of Peace, Conflict and Development, Is. 16, November 2010.pg,44.

22 Interview with Nova Scotia Health Authority, Child and Youth Services. 17 May 2012.