NCJ Number
164980
Date Published
1996
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This overview of the Philippines' juvenile justice system describes formal policies and procedures as well as informal reactions to delinquency.
Abstract
The Philippines' juvenile justice system includes the concept of a juvenile court and separate confinement facilities for juveniles awaiting a hearing and for rehabilitation of those found guilty of a crime. In 1978 a law was passed that established a conciliatory form of justice within political jurisdictions known as "barangays." In this system, matters are to be handled more or less informally. Officially, minor criminal cases are to be settled amicably at the barangay level. Records of barangay hearings do not reflect the ages of disputants. Furthermore, official accounts of juvenile offending in police and court files are inconsistent. In many areas of the country, the formal system of juvenile justice does not exist or is underused. Apparently barangay justice has eclipsed the formal system of juvenile justice, particularly in provincial areas. Although much of the reaction to delinquency involves advice and counseling, sometimes more physical methods of discipline are used. In extreme cases, particularly for repeat or violent offenders, the offender is beaten or killed, even though the death penalty does not officially exist for juveniles. The Philippines has a number of distinct cultures, each of which may adhere in varying degrees to the patterns of juvenile justice officially sanctioned. 2 notes, 22 references, and appended directory of juvenile justice agencies