Immature Minds Need Nourishment, Not Punishment

By Tuba Khan

A nation’s commitment to justice is not judged by the way it treats its powerful citizens, but the way it treats its vulnerable members of society. One of the most fragile creations of God are the children who need love and care, but when they are punished for their mistakes, abused or exploited for their mischievous acts and left unheard in their hour of need, they tend to become juvenile delinquents. They require guidance and encouragement to learn from their mistakes, so that they can grow into responsible and confident individuals. But unfortunately, in Pakistan, children are the most neglected group in terms of justice. Though Pakistan has juvenile justice laws and is a signatory to several international commitments. However, it fails to honor these obligations. According to the KidsRights Index 2020, Pakistan ranks 147th out of 182 nations in access to justice for children.

Juvenile delinquency is not inherent; rather, it is often fueled by social, familial, psychological and environmental conditions. Children being observant and curious by nature are highly adaptable to their surroundings. Family, mentors and the community instill values in a child, shaping children’s behavior. However, factors that lead to juvenile delinquency include parental conflicts or separation, peer pressure, exposure to negative, aggressive and violent environments, deprivation of education, financial resources, affection and other basic necessities, impaired cognitive development, poor reasoning skills and psychological issues, such as impulsiveness, antisocial traits and mental disorders. Moreover, drug addiction, access to harmful content on social media, the dark web and illegal means also exacerbate the growing evil of youth delinquency. Together, these factors shape a child’s social and moral development and provoke delinquent behavior.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) defines a child as one under the age of eighteen. Below this age, children should not be treated with brutality or strict laws. Critics often argue that crime is crime whether it is committed by a child or an adult. However, the philosophy of juvenile justice acknowledges that cognitive development is not yet mature and children have an immense capacity for rehabilitation. A study indicates that the children between 16 and 18 years of age are more likely to commit offences as compared to the younger ones There is always hope for and from every child.

Recognizing these realities, the global community embraced a child-centered approach to juvenile justice and adopted basic principles to deal with young offenders. First, it must be made clear that when a child comes into conflict with the law, alternatives should be offered instead of processing him/her through the formal justice system. Second, there needs to be an exclusive juvenile justice system. Third, during the investigation, a juvenile should not be kept in a regular police station and the judicial process needs to be quick. Lastly, it must be ensured that the state gives a message to juveniles that it believes in their potential for reform.

International laws promote the reintegration of children into society, but sadly, this approach is missing in the juvenile justice system of Pakistan. Punjab has only two Borstal Institutes & Juvenile Jails at Bahawalpur and Faisalabad, while Sindh has five Youthful Offenders Industrial Schools in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Dadu, although the facility in Dadu is non-operational. The KPK has one Borstal in Bannu, whereas Balochistan does not have even a single functional Borstal Institute or juvenile jail. This lack of physical infrastructure causes a considerable number of juveniles to be imprisoned in regular prisons. Placing children in such an overcrowded environment exposes them in proximity to criminals and causes psychological distress, which undermines the rehabilitation capacity of prisoners. No less troubling is the lack of juvenile courts across the country. As a result, most children have continued to go through regular courts that cannot cater to their developmental needs.

A joint report by UNICEF and the Commissioner for Children’s Complaint Office of Pakistan has found that as of November 2023, 81% of the total juvenile offenders in Punjab were detained in ordinary jails, and only 144 prisoners were housed in Borstal Institutes. In January 2026, Punjab Prison Department released a report, according to which there are 718 juvenile prisoners in Punjab, while the total capacity is 658 prisoners. The shortage of juvenile institutions further highlights the flaws in the juvenile justice system of Pakistan.

It is the state’s responsibility to transform vulnerable children into responsible citizens. Therefore, the Government of Pakistan must move beyond merely passing laws that remain largely unimplemented and instead take concrete and pragmatic steps. The country should develop an implementation plan for the juvenile justice system, allocate adequate financial resources, strengthen the diversion mechanism to resolve minor juvenile cases outside the formal justice system, establish child-friendly rehabilitation centers that promote a sense of responsibility towards society, develop specialized juvenile police units to replace the use of police lock-ups for children, protect juveniles from torture and capital punishment while in detention, recruit trained staff, address the root causes of juvenile delinquency, such as poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, unsafe neighborhoods and the growing number of street children through social welfare programs and introduce a real-time Prison Management Information System (PMIS) to monitor juvenile offenders and support evidence-based decision-making.

Every child lost to crime symbolizes not merely an individual failure but a social breakdown and failure of state governance. Invest in the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders to build a safer and stable Pakistan tomorrow. Immature minds need nourishment, not punishment.