Are youth committing murder at a higher rate now than previously?
The rate of homicides for youths ranged from 1.5 to 2.9 per 100,000 youths since 1987 and in 1997 it was 2.3 per 100,000. The murder rate for youth has remained essentially unchanged, at 50 a year between 1976 to 1996. According to the Department of Justice Canada, in 2002, there were 42 youths charged with homicide, seven fewer than the average rate over the previous decade.