Legislative Proposal to Close Juvenile Detention Centers

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Members of the Prison Monitoring and Inspection Commission; Veli Ağbaba, Vice President of People’s Republican Party (CHP), its Deputy President Özgür Özel and Muğla MP Nurettin Demir have submitted a legislative proposal with regard to closing juvenile detention centers.

Justification of the proposal draws attention to the situation that 80% of the juveniles in detention centers are not convicted but arrested and that juveniles who could potentially have been reintroduced to the society, were rather being pushed to crime in detention centers. Emphasis has been put on the necessity of social and psychological rehabilitation of juveniles and making benefits of guidance techniques, and thus reintegrating them into the society instead of keeping them in detention centers

Not punishment but support

Defending that also universal conventions consider measures such as arrests and detention centers last resorts, the legislative proposal has remarked that at this stage the detention centers have deviated from their original aim and the government was not able to prevent sexual abuse, maltreating and violence in juvenile detention centers which affect the lives and the development of the juveniles negatively.

The proposal aims at closing juvenile detention centers and keeping juveniles in custody and under arrest in juvenile education houses which should be regulated for purpose of social and psychological support, guidance and education and not punishment. (YY/DG)