NCJ Number
132092
Date Published
1990
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Although juvenile justice administrators in Kenya have emphasized legal prosecution and institutionalization as methods for dealing with juvenile offenders, officials are now beginning to recognize the need for reform.
Abstract
The Children and Young Persons Act has been the main legal instrument governing the jurisdiction of courts in juvenile cases. Limitations of Kenya's juvenile justice system have become apparent with the rapid increase in population and dramatic changes in economic, social, and political spheres. Urbanization has resulted in an increasing number of people who leave the protection of the extended family system and later come into conflict with the law. In 1984, the Kenyan government attempted to respond to the debate on children and the law. The Kenya Law Reform Commission, established in 1982 to review the country's laws in the context of economic, social, and political changes, organized a national seminar on the law as it related to children. Seminar participants identified key legal aspects affecting children such as custody, inheritance, adoption, juvenile prostitution, disabled children, child abuse, juvenile pregnancy, criminal and civil liability, courts, police, consumer protection, and health. A 1986 workshop determined that Kenya's juvenile justice system should change its emphasis on institutional custody to a focus on prevention, diversion, alternatives to institutionalization, and community-based programs. Kenya's most recent development plan allocates considerable resources to juvenile justice reforms in light of the 1986 workshop findings.