Juvenile Justice in Transition

This book is the outcome of the Partnership Programme on Juvenile Justice, a collaborative project between the Danish Institute for Human Rights and National Institutions and organisations in four partnership countries: Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Nepal. These four countries are now in the process of reforming their juvenile justice systems and bringing them into better accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant international instruments. This book focuses especially on measures to exempt young law violaters from the hardship of detention in jails and prisons while ensuring them the right to due process and protecting them from the often stigmatising effects of court appearances. These measures, known as "diversion" require the existence of alternative options for juveniles, such as probation, family or community care or - as proposed in the South African Juvenile Justice Bill - methods of restorative justice and alternative conflict resolution.