MANAGEMENT OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

The juvenile justice system in Pakistan is a legal and social framework for responding to young people involved in delinquent or criminal conduct. Unlike the adult criminal justice system, it is designed for minors, generally those under 18, and is intended to reflect their age, vulnerability, and capacity for rehabilitation. With the enactment of the Juvenile Justice System Act 2018 (JJSA), Pakistan’s statutory framework may be viewed as relatively progressive. Children in conflict with the law continue to suffer from inadequate and unreliable age determination procedures, extended pre-trial detentions, poor access to meaningful legal representation, and very limited access to rehabilitation, which is more formally in place than in practice. This article discusses the legal structure and management system of the juvenile justice system, tracing the constitutional basis of the system, the legislative development of the juvenile justice system from the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000 to the Juvenile Justice System Act 2018, and Pakistan's obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Beijing Rules and the Riyadh Guidelines. It examines the implementation of the juvenile justice system. It puts Pakistani practice in perspective and provides an international and comparative context for better implementation. The article emphasizes the need for institutional investment, functional diversion systems, well-trained staff, data systems, and continuous monitoring programs as components of a rights-based, rehabilitative juvenile justice system.