Serving the community of Strathcona County and surrounding area, The Strathcona County Youth Justice Committee (The SYJC) receives files from multiple law enforcement and community groups when a youth is charged with a first-time minor offense.

The SYJC is composed of a Committee Chair and fifteen volunteers who receive files from various law enforcement agencies.

The SYJC works with various volunteer organizations in the community, as well as with various third-parties impacted by the youth's actions- such as the victim, or the youth's own family in order to maximize the achievable growth for the youth through the program.

The assignment(s), also known as extrajudicial sanctions because they are outside of the traditional justice system in Alberta, are intended to help the youth understand the seriousness of their actions, as well as how it has impacted those around them.

These assignments may include an agreed-upon number of community service hours, writing an essay on how their actions affected the other people involved in the incident, or writing an apology letter to the victim or their own parents. The goal of our program is for the youth to grow from their mistakes in a way that discourages recidivism.

The SYJC will review the youth's progress after the pre-determined time frame which is most often a period of three months. When a youth has completed all of their sanctions in the allotted three month period, they will be signed off as successful in the program. The RCMP and or the Court will be notified about the young person’s completion.