Nunn Commission
On June 29, 2005, the provincial government appointed Justice Merlin Nunn to head a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the release of a youth offender who was convicted under the Youth Criminal Justice Act as the result of a fatal car crash. Commissioner Nunn submitted his report on December 5, 2006, including 34 recommendations.
Latest Update:
Cases of young people in trouble with the law in Nova Scotia are now being processed within 89 days on average from their first appearance in youth court to their sentence or acquittal. The target was set in response to Commissioner Merlin Nunn's recommendation in December 2006 to improve process time for youth cases. The processing time was 134 days in 2004 and 2005.
"I'm very impressed that we've exceeded the target we set," said Justice Minister and Attorney General Cecil Clarke. "Not only will this keep our communities safer, but also research shows that youth offenders have a better understanding of how their behaviour leads to serious consequences if those consequences happen as soon after the offence as possible."
See also:
June, 2008: Case Processing in Nova Scotia Youth Court, 2004-05 to 2007-08 (PDF)