Treatment of Juvenile Delinquency under the Criminal Justice System in Bangladesh: An Overview

Abstract

Several changes have been brought by the state in the criminal justice system to provide a better treatment for the juvenile delinquents in Bangladesh since 1973. The objective of this paper is to analyse and obtain an overview of the treatment system of juvenile delinquents under the criminal justice system in Bangladesh, framed on the standards of the International Laws provided by the Beijing Rules, the Riyadh Guidelines, and the UNCRC. Moreover, its objective is also to investigate the existing informal mechanisms for the treatment of juvenile delinquencies outside the formal criminal justice system. After conducting the study on several case references, books and journals it has been found that the reformation of the juvenile justice system was the high demand of the constituent courts, the law jurists, and law professionals. The study also found that the maximum aspects of the juvenile justice system have been reformed by the Children Act 2013. Although, there are several criminal laws to deal with the juveniles but this Act of 2013 is the comprehensive legislation that provides special, alternative and diversionary treatment system to deal with the juvenile delinquents. However, the juvenile justice system is still in its infancy to protect the legal interests of the juvenile delinquents because of the lack of coordination and motivation between the legislation and enforcing agents, minimal implementation of the legislation through poor justice administration system. Moreover, the absence of the modern children policy, governing rules, and a separate procedural law regarding the implementation of the Children Act has made the system slow and weak. This paper recommends providing necessary rules, a separate procedural law to implement the national laws according to the international standard of the juvenile justice system to build a strong juvenile justice system in Bangladesh.