Citation

Hogeveen B. J. Hist. Sociol. 2007; 20(4): 605-621.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1467-6443.2007.00325.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Canada's juvenile court has become axiomatic. As such, it demands critical and historical questioning of its hegemony. It is in this spirit of critique that I highlight its arbitrariness. Two ruptures in the ostensibly smooth telos of Ontario's juvenile courts are discussed in this paper. First, I examine the precarious and uncertain inauguration of the Juvenile Delinquents Act. Second, I explore the Act's implementation in Toronto; particularly as it relates to the adversity juvenile court judge E.W. Boyd experienced. This examination provides a convenient backdrop against which to highlight the juvenile court's foible. I conclude with a call for a socio-historic strategy of open ended practico-critique of law and juvenile courts; informed by the emancipatory logic of “justice” to come.