Imagine that you are suspected of murder in 1892. You have no solid proof of your innocence, but there is also no proof that you are guilty. No matter your arguments, you are sentenced to public hanging even if you did not commit the crime. This is an example that the Criminal Code of Canada would have sentenced you to if it suspected you had committed manslaughter. The Criminal Code of Canada is a collection of laws developed in 1892. It determines penalties for certain crimes and, fortunately, it has been revised several times. This is an important part of the Canadian justice system. The system is now fair since the death penalty is prohibited, sentences are equal for both sexes and children are persecuted differently from adults. The death penalty, also known as "capital punishment", was legal in Canada. Most people were hanged publicly. After the Confederation of Canada, the reasons why people were hanged were downplayed and thus only three crimes resulted in execution; rape, murder and high treason. Even though confederation only took place shortly after the adoption of the Criminal Code of Canada. Confederation took place in 1867 when the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec united to form Canada. Joseph-Albert Guay (more commonly known as "Albert Guay") was a man hanged on January 12, 1951. He lived in Quebec and was responsible for the bombing of a passenger flight on September 9, 1949, killing 23 people and his wife Rita, the intended victim. The crime was called the “Guay Affair”. He was accompanied by Marguerite Pitre, the last woman hanged in Canada. She died on January 9, 1953 in Montreal, Quebec. They represented only two of the 710 people executed in Canada...... middle of paper ......this system was more selective, reduced over-reliance on confinement and increased youth therapy in the community after their detention. . The Youth Criminal Justice Act respects Canada's young people. A number of new youth sentences have been created. It replaced transfers to adult court with a system that provided part of adult sentencing. All trials took place in youth court and, in some circumstances, a youth received an adult sentence. The Youth Justice Act benefits the youth justice system. Overall, the Criminal Code of Canada is fairer than it was before. People are given a second chance to change for the better rather than being executed for their crimes. Criminals are sentenced the same way, regardless of their gender. Minors and adults are judged differently. Where would society be if people were still hanged for stealing a cow??