Under sentencing principle (3) (a) of the "Act", the sentencing of a youth's punishment should not by any means be harsher or surpass that of the punishment for an adult who has been found guilty of committing the same crime as the youth The reason for this sentencing principle was to eliminate discrepancies that were prevalent in the "Young Offenders Act". It was formed on the basis that youth under the Young Offenders Act were receiving longer sentences than adults for the same offences. In R. v. C.D.; a youth plead guilty to arson, breach of a recognisance, and the possession of a weapon. He received a light sentence of six months of deferred custody due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Appeals against this case, state that the youth has committed an indictable offence for which an adult would be imprisoned for a period of two or more years.