By Robert A. Emmanuel
Attorney General Steadroy Benjamin says changes will be made to the Child Justice Act to enable youths to be charged as adults for certain crimes.
Offences by minors have dominated the national conversation for several months and, speaking to Observer media, Benjamin pledged that the government will not treat youngsters who fall foul of the law with “kid gloves anymore”.
“Many persons are of the opinion that, somehow, the Child Justice Act prohibits the police from arresting juveniles who commit serious offences but that is not so,” he said.
“But…stakeholders have spoken with me with the specific purpose of ensuring that the law is drafted when young people commit heinous offences just as adults,” he said.
Under the Child Justice Act (amended in 2018), children under the age of 12 bear no criminal responsibility, while a child under 14 cannot be imprisoned for more than three years.
Children under 14 may receive a diversion punishment to include referral to counselling or community service which would be dependent on factors including the extent of the crime and the background of the child.
Last week’s killing of 26-year-old Roudi Shmali, along with an alleged rape committed by five minors, and an armed robbery at a popular restaurant have reignited conversations about youth violence.
Last year’s uptick in violent attacks near school compounds committed by youths – some of them said to be gang members – also raised alarm.
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