Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Don’t treat juveniles like adults' that was publsihed in Newsband

Don’t treat juveniles like adults

Attempt is being made to ensure that children between the ages of 16 and 18 are tried as adults if they commit heinous offences such as murder and rape. The rights of the juvenile should be protected. It should not be forgotten that making children face an adult criminal court would mar the prospect of their rehabilitation. The government should stick by the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, which treats everyone up to 18 as a child.

There was a time were in child at age of 16 didn't even know what sex and rape was? These days, one can get the knowledge from different sources. Giving knowledge about sex and other topics is good, but half knowledge about anything can always increase the curiosity, especially in teenagers, which leads to such kinds of crime.

If we go by data then less than 1% instances of heinous crime involves juveniles. So, rehabilitation homes and counseling of these juveniles would be a good option rather than treating them on same lines with adults (who are major heinous crime offenders).

No doubt culprit should be punished. But at the age of 16 or 18 they know little and try to follow heroic nonsense. The impact of cinemas and internet is higher. Under these influences they try to tease or show much interest in physical pleasure. They give lesser importance to morals. They don’t know what is good or bad. So it is better that the government provide more facilities to provide quality education, with religious morals. Teach these children to respect women. Protect the children upto 18 years of age.

"Law is reason free from passion." People seem to be getting carried away by their feelings of disgust at certain crimes and want the law to reflect their feelings. Laws should be based on reason and there are several scientific studies which state that children between the ages of 16 and 18 are not fully capable of understanding the consequences or risks of their actions.

If children below 18 are sent to jail instead of Reformatory Centre, it will be bad for those children. In India everyone who goes into a jail comes out trained and turned into a hard core criminal seeking vengeance on the society. Many high level criminals run their operations from prison with help of officials and politicians. We must focus on these things - not tamper with a more humane brand new law that has undergone little implementation. This is a knee jerk reaction.

Childrens upto the age of 18 is at their pre-age of growth. The present law made should take care that at what circumstance the criminal act was performed. Having a rule to force juveniles to be treated as adults is wrong. If this is done, then a day is nearer when political effects will force below 18 to vote for them. There is an age where we come across society and try to judge good and bad; if while judging, one commits the wrong act one should not be penalized but should be kept under supervision of good charters and taught what was wrong in the act. Children are future and must be taught in perfect manner, only law driven punishments are not solutions to stop the act.