The regulation of correctional centres for juvenile offenders established under the Juvenile Justice Act have been made public.
Maldives Correctional Services has been tasked with the management of the two types of centres that will be established under the new regulation, including juvenile detention centres and long-term secure facilities.
According to the regulation, juveniles convicted of minor criminal offences will be placed in juvenile detention centres while juvenile offenders of serious crimes will serve their incarceration in long-term secure facilities in isolation from society.
However, both types of centres must be established separately from adult detention centers and should be appropriate to the age of the child and the offense committed. The regulation mandates authorities to guarantee religious, social, educational, mental, health and physical care and protection for minors serving sentences in these centres.
The responsibilities of the centres include taking all necessary measures for the safety and security of children, maintaining the general condition of children in detention, monitoring the behavior of children and maintaining the security of the premises. The centres are also responsible for taking necessary action against children who violate the rules and ensuring the protection of their human rights while also planning and implementing various rehabilitation programmes to facilitate the reintegration of such children back into society.
Under the regulation, a special unit will be established in the Maldives Correctional Services to monitor the affairs of minors incarcerated in juvenile correctional centers and juvenile offenders released on probation or parole. The officers working in this unit must be of both sexes with special education and training to work with children.
Under current law, criminal responsibility applies to those aged 15-18. However, the government has decided to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12 years as part of reforms to the juvenile justice system.