Juvenile Justice Policy: Gaps Identification and Role of Key Stakeholders in Pakistan

Imran Ahmad Sajid

Abstract
This article presents the situation of juvenile justice in Pakistan and the need for a
comprehensive, meaningful and effective policy for addressing the problems associated
with juvenile justice. As such there is no policy for juvenile justice in the country at the
present. The only major law dealing with children in conflict with law is Juvenile Justice
System Ordinance 2000. Owing to some practical difficulties the law is not implemented
properly in the country. Pakistan has many good policies, may be on paper sometimes, like
health policy, educational policy, labour policy, etc but we neither have a criminal justice
policy nor a specific juvenile justice policy at national or provincial level. This paper
explains how a juvenile justice policy should look like in the context of Pakistan.

Keywords: Policy, Criminal Justice System, Juvenile Justice System, Juvenile Delinquency, Diversion, Restorative Justice, Police, Prosecution, Juvenile Courts, Borstal Institution.