WITH the aim of eradicating criminality and focusing on rehabilitation and education among juveniles who break the law, a costing exercise is being done before the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act which will see the appointment of a Director of Juvenile Justice, according to Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan.

Ramjattan was at the time speaking at a Juvenile Justice sensitisation session that was held at the Marriott Hotel on Monday.

The Bill was passed in Parliament in April 2018. The clause of the preliminary section of the Bill explicitly states, “The Act shall come into operation on the day the Minister may by order appoint.” The act will repeal the 1931 Juvenile Offenders Act and the Training School Act.
However, the Public Security Minister noted that there is a cost attached to the rehabilitation facilities, as well as, consultations on the necessary staffing and phased implementation that is required by the act.

Adding that the Act requires the juvenile justice system to hold the child’s well-being as paramount whenever making decisions as well as, to provide means of rehabilitation, reintegration and education for juveniles, Ramjattan said that consultation has already been held with the Judiciary, Director of Public Prosecutions, Child Care Protection Agency, Probation Office and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The public security minister explained that too many young people are being passed through the court system for things that can be dealt with differently.

“Too many have continued offending and when they reach adulthood that now costs a humongous amount of money to deal with, so it’s better for us to start with preventative measures,” Ramjattan said.

He noted that most of the men currently in prison began their law breaking from an early age. “So if we start nipping it in the bud with prevention, then it is obviously going to be a cure.”

He noted that now there is need for a partnership with the media to educate and inform the public on the benefits of the Juvenile Justice Bill.

President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA) Nazima Raghubir, reminded her media colleagues about the service they provide to the public, and of the need to attend many sessions to educate themselves on the legislation and relevant information, in order to execute their respective functions properly.

In her remarks at the event, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan said that two magistrates have been already received training in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States (US), to preside over the daily court sessions in Georgetown.
She said that the courtroom in Georgetown has been made child-friendly with bright colours.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in Guyana and Suriname, Sylvie Fouet, noted that the legislation makes provision for alternative sentencing which is referred to as diversion. The aim is to divert juveniles away from formal court procedures to informal procedures that include restorative measures to deal with a juvenile alleged to have committed an offence.