Investing in improving the home environment of children would be far better than lowering the age of criminal responsibility as a solution to the problem of juvenile delinquency, Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem has said.
In a post titled "Juvenile delinquents - solution is changing environment, not lowering age" published on his blog, PG Shameem admitted that the authorities have failed to solve the problem of minors committing crimes through the criminal justice system.
However, lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 years to 12 years or 10 years as backed by the government and police would not solve the problem, he wrote. PG Shameem had also spoken against the move previously.
Suggesting that trying to improve their home environment would be much better, Shameem said that minors in the Maldives commit crimes because they are encouraged to do so by their environment. A child who does not live in such an environment has not come to the attention of the criminal justice system by offending, he added.
"Therefore, one thing that needs to be done to discourage children from committing crimes is to try and change the environment of children at risk of crime," Shameem wrote.
Law enforcement agencies have the power to do this, Shameem said. But it would have to be an effort undertaken with patience and perseverance by expending state resources, he wrote.
"If the child's parents don't have jobs, jobs should be found for them. Additional special opportunities should be available for the children through the education sector as well. They should be enrolled in universities and vocational training and [the authorities] should try to reduce the time that they get to spend with bad friends," Shameem said.
"Along with that, other children who are friends with the child should also slowly be enrolled in these programmes. We should try to change the whole environment surrounding the child."
Shameem said further that the effort would be considerable. But in some cases the investment made to improve the child's home environment would produce better results than the expense of detaining the child in prison, he said.
Civil society groups also previously expressed concern about lowering the age of criminal liability.
However, the age is expected to be lowered as the government wants by the ruling party's supermajority in Parliament. Amending the juvenile justice law is part of the legislative agenda proposed by the government.
