Davao City, Feb. 7 (PIA) -- Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte took pot-shots anew on the Juvenile Justice Law saying it has no provision for the after-arrest procedure for children in conflict with the law.
Speaking before the 4,000 members of the League of Councilors of the Philippines at SMX-Convention Center, Wednesday, he stressed that a minor must be put behind bars once he commits a major crime regardless of his age.
Duterte said that while imprisonment is a punitive action for adults as a form of retribution for a major offense, a minor offender is simply set free to his family, despite a grave offense.
“This child is simply out on the streets because of a dysfunctional family. Giving him up again to the same dysfunctional family would only prompt him to go out to the streets again and commit another crime,” he pointed out.
Duterte said lawmakers should have crafted the mandatory provision of funds under the Juvenile Justice Law for the creation of correctional institutions where youth offenders could reflect on their offenses and then reform.
“The crafters of the law could have provided P1 to 2 billion to establish correctional institutions and prescribe the time for the child to spend in the correctional facility, where the stay could run from one to two years,” he said.
Duterte said the law remains silent on what to do after a crime is committed by a minor.
He said the author of the Juvenile Justice Law should have worked or served first with the local government in order to have a good grasp of the problem involving minor offenders. (PIA XI/Joey Sem G. Dalumpines/LAC)
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