Understanding of juvenile law needed, says justice officer

TEACHERS in schools need to understand the juvenile justice system when dealing with students that are in conflict with the law, says senior juvenile justice officer Marie Balil.
During the National Capital District in-service training at Kilakila Secondary School in Port Moresby on Wednesday, she told teachers that they needed to work with juvenile justice officers when their students came into conflict with the law.
“Especially the principals and teachers have to understand the procedures of the juvenile justice system before they can make decisions at their level,” she said.
Balil told the teachers on the objective of the Juvenile Justice Act, the general principles of the Act and the purpose of diversion of the Act.
The objectives of the Act are:

To establish the basis for the administration of a comprehensive and separate juvenile justice system based in the principles of restorative justice;
Melanesian tradition and contemporary juvenile justice practices;
to establish a code for dealing with juveniles charged with or alleged to have committed an offence;
to ensure that the rights of juveniles charged with or alleged to have committed an offence were fully respected and protected,;
to provide for the jurisdiction and proceedings of courts dealing with juveniles;
to recognise and reinforce, in accordance with the Constitution, the role of the family unit as the fundamental basis of society and in particular the importance of involving parents, families, victims and communities in juvenile processes to encourage the rehabilitation and reintegration of juveniles; and,
To promote co-operation among all departments and agencies, and other organisations and civil society groups involved in implementing an effective juvenile justice system.