NCJ Number
238690
Journal
Internal Security Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: January - June 2011 Pages: 231-237
Date Published
2011
Length
7 pages
Annotation
In this paper the author presented problems of execution of punishments of juveniles in the Republic of Belarus.
Abstract
A priority for the state and its institutions is to ensure human values, respect for human rights and freedoms of citizens. According to the author, referring to the views of other scholars, the punishment should be a measure of education, the main purpose of which should be an intrinsic transformation of the criminal into a good person and a positive member of society. Currently, the Belarusian legislation a lot of attention is paid to the regulation of the prescription and execution of punishments not including isolation of juveniles from society. The Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus provides for criminal prosecution of persons who committed crimes under the age of 18 years and the appointment of certain kinds of punishment in the form of a fine, arrest, restriction of liberty, detention, etc. The author stresses that the current penalty of imprisonment in the juvenile justice has a positive tendency to decrease its use. It is believed that the positive nature of criminal sanctions not involving deprivation of liberty lies in their social orientation. The convicted person shall remain in society and should establish a positive social relationship. The article presents also forms of execution of punishments and authorities, whose responsibility is the enforcement of sentences. The author gives examples of international legal regulation in this area, for example, articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly. The conclusion is that the process of reforming the penitentiary system in Belarus is aimed not only at humanization of execution of punishments, but also at change in attitudes in society to penal policy. (Published Abstract)