NCJ Number
165324
Date Published
1996
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The Standard Minimum Rules and Guidelines adopted by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders deal with the administration of juvenile justice, the protection of juveniles deprived of liberty, and juvenile delinquency prevention.
Abstract
These instruments were adopted in 1985 and 1990. They amount to 185 rules and rest on several basic rules. These include the importance of legality in all decisions in juvenile justice, juvenile justice in a human rights perspective, the best interests and well-being of the child as a primary consideration, the recognition that the child is not yet an adult, the fundamental role of the family, and the use of imprisonment and institutionalization as solutions of last resort. Enforcing these standards and making juvenile justice effective requires integration, coordination, and interdisciplinary collaboration; efforts to make law and justice accessible to juveniles; and efforts to make juvenile justice and children¦s rights accessible to the police and the judges. Networking at the international level is needed to permit the best possible use of limited resources.