Current Affairs Justice Minister to push for tougher consequences for minors who commit violent crimes
Following a number of highly publicized incidents of violence commited by juveniles the country’s Justice Minister, Jiří Pospíšil, is pushing for tougher consequences for minors under the age of 15 who commit brutal crimes. Under the minister’s plan, children who normally would not be held accountable, but represent a serious threat to others, would not end up in correctional homes but in stricter facilities.
Illustrative photo
One of the worst cases of youth violence shocked many earlier this year
when two boys, aged 16 and 14 in north Bohemia, beat a 12-year-old so badly
he ended up in the hospital. The 16-year-old was charged, the 14-year-old
was not and acted only as a witness in the case that was decided last week.
He was only sent back to the reformatory home without serious
repercussions. Staff at the home said the boy was particularly unruly and
the cause of constant strife and even the ruling judge in the case
indicated the boy had apparently learned little from his actions. She said
she thought it was only a matter of time before he appeared before the
court again for a different crime.
Jiří Pospíšil, photo: CTK
The question is how to improve the situation. The Justice Minister Jiří
Pospíšil has made clear that in extreme cases, serious offenders under 15
should be sent to detention facilities where they would have to undergo
treatment and also be kept under higher security. Here is what the justice
minister had to say:
“In extreme cases where it comes to light that a child unfortunately has a mental disorder that makes them dangerous to others, even as a child and later as an adult - and they refuse treatment – they need to be isolated.”
The minister will raise the issue with Parliament’s Constitutional Law Committee as well as with child psychologists, lawyers, and other specialists, some of whom say the push to introduce tougher restrictions for minors who cannot be tried as adults is the right step. Police psychologist Ludmila Čírtková spoke to Czech TV:
“This is the right decision. When you have such cases the families are usually completely dysfunctional and regular children’s homes do not have the means to deal with serious delinquents.”
Ludmila Čírtková
Others have pushed for an increase in the quality and number of
specialized personnel at existing homes themselves, where psychologists
have to deal with dozens with problem children. Personnel could benefit
further, some noted, from further specialized training, something backed by
the Education Ministry, which reportedly wants to change the current system
of children’s homes from the ground up. Theoretically, those could go in
tandem with changes proposed by the Justice Minister.
