Youth within the Canadian justice system lose their identity. Their age places them under the jurisdiction of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Criminal charges identify them as criminals and their “'character traits'…label them to society” (1957:45). Such procedures, like pre-sentence reports, encapsulate their history and reduce young people to “object[s] of more or less easy absorption” (1957:45). It is this pre-sentence report compiled by a probation officer that gives direction to the judge in determining a sentence. A probation officer will interview the young people, their families and friends and build a picture of the defendants' character and how they plan to reform. It is used to help the judge determine the sentence, but is also used as a means of identifying the character of the young person and their subsequent labeling and treatment in the future. This documentation will follow them throughout their youth within any government agency. Young people are being misled by those within the system, not for their own good, but for what those within the system believe is in their best interests. This includes things like plea bargaining, chemical restraints, and permanent labels; all this deprives them of their voice and their identity. A risk and needs assessment is also developed by the probation officer who follows youth into their custodial facility, group homes, and community intervention programs. Needs and risk assessment was developed in the 1980s and is based on an ideology that has three beliefs. The first is that criminal behavior can be accurately predicted and the greater the risk, the more treatment must be provided. The second is that this behavior has triggers that cause it and these should be the focus......the focus of the article......0." Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada. Calverley, D. , Cotter, A ., & Halla, E.2010. “Youth Custody and Community Services in Canada – 2008/2009,” Juristat 30(1). Retrieved from http://www.cmha.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=6-20-23-44 (accessed March 3, 2014).Ogrodnik, L.2010. “Children and Youth Victims of Police – Violent Crimes Reported – 2008 (Canadian Center for Justice Statistical Profile Series).” Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada. Roumeliotis, Ioanna. “Crime rate in Canada in 2011 lowest since 1972.” CBCNews, 24 July 2012. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-s-crime-rate-in-2011-lowest-since-1972-1.1166759 (accessed 22 February 2014).Savoie, J .2007. "Self-reported juvenile delinquency, Toronto - 2006", Juristat 27(6). Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada.