First amendment to Juvenile Justice Act, ratified

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has ratified the first amendment to the Juvenile Justice Act, on Thursday.

Passed by the People’s Majlis on December 7, at its 28th sitting of the last session of the ongoing year, the first amendment to the act has been publicized in the government gazette, upon ratification.

With the inclusion of jurisdiction and duties during the investigative and probatory periods for juvenile offenders, the amendment brings a number of important changes to the act.

The legislation mandates the Prosecutor General to draft a legislation to follow in pressing charges against juvenile offenders, and stipulates the Juvenile Court to maintain its jurisdiction during the initial investigative stage for juvenile criminal offenders.

Further, it mandates the court’s probation officers to monitor convicted juvenile offenders during their probation period. Probation officers are also mandated to compile and submit information concerning juvenile offenders to the court, during which they are to receive full cooperation and support from relevant agencies.

The Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) came into effect on November 20, upon which a juvenile justice system was established separately from the criminal justice system of the country.

The act was signed into law last year, alongside the Child Rights Protection Act.

The Juvenile Justice Act outlines the rights of children and adolescents coming in conflict with the law, or involved in cycles of violence, juvenile felony and means to prevent juvenile delinquencies. It suggests a swift resolution to allow reforming juvenile delinquents into productive members of society through rehabilitative facilities.