Female juvenile crime is on the rise. In response, some agencies are suggesting a remedy to revise the Canadian Youth Criminal Justice Act in favour of harsher sentences for youth. This paper delves into the potential negative repercussions of said amendment such as increased involvement in gangs and deteriorating mental health. Furthermore, alternative methods such as after school programs, mentorships, and therapeutic means of rehabilitation are shown to not only be more effective for reducing crime among young women but more cost effective as well. Prisons have been shown to worsen the situations of young women who have grown up in extremely disadvantageous circumstances. Thus, this paper argues that harsher sentences for female youth will not only be ineffective in solving the current problem of youth crime but may make it worse. Andrew A. Reid and Beth de Beer (Faculty sponsors).
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a diagnosis given to infants who die suddenly and unexpectedly before the age of one. After decades of research into SIDS, little has been conclusively determined regarding the etiology of this phenomenon. While SIDS deaths are in reality undetermined deaths, there is resistance to abandon SIDS and synonymous terminology. This paper identifies the social functions that a diagnosis of SIDS provides both to the families of the deceased, as well as the physicians who treat them. It is suggested that these social functions help to explain why, despite being inaccurate and misleading, SIDS is still widely used today. It is argued, however, that the forensic pathology and medical community as a whole should lead a systematic shift away from the use of SIDS as a diagnosis. Adopting more medically-appropriate terminology would better serve the goals of the medical profession and the families they serve.
