Issues: THE CHILD CRIMINAL

Syd

Issues: THE CHILD CRIMINALNURRIS ISHAK and VEENA BABULAL

Criminologist Prof Dr P. Sundramoorthy, a criminologist at Universiti Sains Malaysia抯 School of Social Sciences says certain cases require the offender to be tried as an adult

WHEN a juvenile murderer was released after only 5 years in jail, the legal system collectively shuddered. The release is a matter on appeal. But the larger issue is whether children should be punished for the offences, and if yes, what the punishment should be, write NURRIS ISHAK and VEENA BABULAL.
[table=200][/table]WHEN a child commits a serious crime, is prison the best place for him or her?

Some experts suggest community service, probation or parole, while others lean to the other end of the spectrum, suggesting that the child be tried as an adult, depending on the severity of the crime.

But a chorus of legal experts, psychologists, criminologists and children抯 welfare organisations say that prison is no place for a child.

Prison should be the last resort, says Universiti Malaya Juvenile Justice and Welfare expert Norbani Mohamed Nazeri.
"It doesn抰 mean that the laws are lenient. They are still punished.

"But juvenile law operates on an underlying belief that the child can be rehabilitated," said Norbani.

"There are other types of orders the court can make. The court can order for probation, compensation, or bond of good behaviour.

"They can also order incarceration in places like Sekolah Tunas Bakti, run by the Department of Social Welfare or Henry Gurney run by the Prisons Department."

In Malaysia, as with most parts of the world, the age of legal responsibility is 10 years.

Children below the age of 10, no matter how serious the crime, cannot be held criminally liable. This is because children below the age of 10 are considered to be doli incapax (incapable of crime)

Syd

Verdict: Amend laws, study issue more, change attitudes

WITH the rising number of crimes committed by minors and juveniles, some experts say the Child Act 2001 needs to be amended in terms of punishment, rehabilitation and treatment.

Others believe trying minors who commit capital offences as adults is the best way to address the issue and prevent them joining crime syndicates.

Yasmeen Shariff, a lawyer who handles juvenile cases says there are many instances where children are arrested and charged for possession of drugs.

"They do not get their supply on their own, they must have had an adult instigator.

"We have to differentiate actions that are genuinely committed by children."

Juvenile laws are all about saving the child, which includes rehabilitation and counselling .

But there is a shortage of staff trained to handle children in prisons and detention homes, says Madeleine Yong, director of Protect and Save The Children (PS The Children).

"We have a lot of graduates, but how many of them have the experience of handling children, let alone young offenders ?

Yong says attitudes play a vital role.

"If you think they are hopeless, then all the best programmes in the world will not help. If the institution is not nurturing and safe, children will find it hard to heal and move on."

"There are a lot of children抯 problems that are emerging but we are taking the punitive, ad hoc way of dealing with it.

"More money needs to be put into research or measurement of the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes."

For lawyer Ragunath Kesavan, amending the law alone will not be successful without a proper guidance and support system.

He says judges should be given ancillary powers to make necessary orders for the welfare of the child.

"Judges should be able to order for progress reports from probationary officers, enabling the cases to be reviewed from time to time."

Syd

Oleh TUAN NAZURI TUAN ISMAIL

KLANG: Remaja berumur 15 tahun yang juga suspek utama pembunuhan seorang kanak-kanak berumur tujuh tahun di Taman Perangsang, Kapar dekat sini, petang kelmarin, ditahan reman selama seminggu bagi membantu siasatan.

Majistret Zalifah Zainal Abidin membenarkan suspek yang juga pelajar tingkatan tiga sebuah sekolah agama di Hulu Langat dan tinggal selang beberapa rumah dari rumah mangsa ditahan bermula semalam sehingga Jumaat ini.

Suspek yang memakai baju biru dan seluar putih, tiba di Kompleks Mahkamah Klang kira-kira jam 10.30 pagi, sebelum dihantar ke pusat tahanan juvana di Pelabuhan Klang selepas perintah tahanan reman itu dikeluarkan.

Dua ahli keluarga suspek dilihat menyerahkan ubat kepada anggota polis yang bertugas untuk diserahkan kepada suspek yang mengidap penyakit sawan.

Difahamkan, selepas ditahan di rumahnya sejurus kejadian berlaku, suspek terpaksa dikejarkan ke Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) selepas diserang penyakit sawan.

Dalam kejadian jam 4 petang kelmarin, Mohamad Kahirul Nizam Riza Azmi ditemui mati di sebuah rumah kosong dengan empat kesan tikaman pada pipi kanan, perut dan dua tikaman di belakang.

Mayat mangsa ditemui tertiarap dalam tandas tingkat atas rumah dua tingkat itu selepas diseret kira-kira lima meter dari bilik utama yang dipercayai tempat mangsa dibunuh.

Polis turut menemui serpihan kaca tingkap di tempat kejadian, yang dipercayai digunakan untuk menikam murid Tahun Satu Sekolah Rendah Abdul Samad itu.

Sebelum kejadian, mangsa bersama seorang lagi rakannya, juga berumur tujuh tahun, pergi ke rumah kosong itu selepas diajak suspek dan seorang rakannya berumur 16 tahun yang masih bebas kononnya untuk bermain mercun.

Mangsa dan rakannya kemudian diikat menggunakan tali dan suspek dipercayai menikam badan mangsa beberapa kali.

Rakan mangsa bagaimanapun berjaya melepaskan diri dan meminta tolong daripada seorang jiran berdekatan rumah kosong itu yang kemudian menelefon polis.

Suspek dan rakannya dipercayai bertindak demikian kerana tidak puas hati dengan perbuatan mangsa mengacau ayam belanda yang dipelihara di kawasan rumahnya.

Polis mengklasifikasikan kes itu sebagai kes bunuh dan menyiasat mengikut Seksyen 302 Kanun Keseksaan.

Ketua Polis Daerah Klang, Asisten Komisioner Mohamad Mat Yusop, ketika dihubungi mengesahkan penahanan reman suspek utama itu dan berkata, pihaknya masih menyiasat rakan suspek yang masih bebas dan pembabitannya dalam kes itu.

Sementara itu, bapa mangsa, Rizal Azmi Ramli, 35, yang ditemui di rumah mayat HTAR di sini, menyifatkan pembunuh anaknya tidak berhati perut kerana sanggup bertindak kejam terhadap kanak-kanak itu.

Beliau juga kecewa dan kesal apabila keluarga suspek yang tinggal selang beberapa rumah dari rumahnya tidak datang memohon maaf atau sekurang-kurangnya menziarah dan bertanya khabar.

揝aya tidak kenal suspek kerana baru dua minggu pindah ke taman ini, tetapi saya ada dengar daripada penduduk taman ini yang mendakwa suspek suka membuli kanak-kanak,