CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS ACT.
In Section 37, Children and Young Persons Act, restrictions on the punishment of children and young persons are legislated. The law established imprisonment as a sentence option that must not be used against children and youth offenders, regardless of the offence committed.
Instead of incarceration, the Youth Court looks into other rehabilitative forms of punishment.
According to Section 44 of the Children and Young Persons Act, upon a child or young person’s admittance to the offence, the Court has the power to issue dispositional orders. Some Youth Court orders include Probation Order, Community Service Order, Detention Orders and Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre Order. These orders are part of the efforts to rehabilitate youths under the supervision of officers and in designated facilities. This ensures that young offenders are not separated from society and are able to resume a normal life after their release.
In addition, youths who successfully complete their Youth Court Orders are considered legally free of criminal record (Kwang, 2019). This enables them to reintegrate into society, without the criminal record as a potential barrier for them in their future endeavours.
Area of focus
Though these laws under the Children and Young Persons Act serve to protect and guide young offenders toward a crime-free life, the rising rate of recidivism among young offenders suggest that the legislated laws are ineffective in solving the root problem.