JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM: NEED FOR REFORM

Abstract

The juvenile justice system is the site of an important confluence between legal precepts and child welfare concerns and was created as a protective system not a punishing one(Ganguli, 2024). Within jurisdictions, the system faces the difficult task of effectively dealing with juvenile delinquency while maintaining the rights and the developmental needs of youth (Gonzales et al., 2023).Nonetheless, the practice of using this framework comes up against many limitations, which prevent the realization of its anticipated goals ((Ganguli, 2024).The current litigations and institutions are likely unfit to face the complexity of juvenile offending problems, and requires a more fundamental rethink and reform overall (Daud, Cahyaningtyas, 2020).The chapter discusses the pressing need for reform in the juvenile justice system in India in the background of changing laws and norms in the country and examines the specific challenges faced by child offenders and the systemic deficiencies that hamper their rehabilitation, and suggests specific interventions and policy recommendations to ensure a more effective, equitable, and child-sensitive juvenile justice system. The need to seek out opportunities to make the implementation of the rights better cannot be overlooked (Amaritasari, 2024).