OTTAWA - The family of a teen girl who was brutally raped and murdered is hailing the federal government's move to tighten the screws of the criminal justice system through its sweeping tough-on-crime legislation.

"These amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act are a step in the right direction," said Jo-Anne Landolt, the aunt of Kimberly Proctor, 18, who was murdered by two teenaged psychopaths near Victoria in 2010.

Bill C-10, with its major criminal justice reforms, was passed into law in March, but some of its provisions weren't enacted until Tuesday.

Those provisions include requiring the Crown consider seeking adult sentences for violent youth criminals, requiring judges consider lifting a publication ban on those criminals' names and making it easier to keep youth in custody while they await trial.

"The public should be protected against criminals no matter their age," Landolt said. "All offenders must be held accountable for their crimes."