The Role Of Psychological Maturity In Juvenile Sentencing
- IJLLR Journal
- May 22
- 1 min read
Abdul Hannaan Siddiqui, Presidency University Bengaluru
Shivansh Singh Chauhan, Presidency University Bengaluru
ABSTRACT
All around the globe, lawmakers, jurists and child‐rights advocates have agreed on a simple, yet profound, insight: a child is not simply a smaller version of an adult. The emotions that swirl inside a teenager, the way a developing brain processes information, and the still‐forming moral compass all differ markedly from the adult pattern. Because of those differences, a young person cannot be held to the same standard of responsibility that a fully‐grown adult faces.
When a juvenile demonstrates even a modest sign that he or she can be steered away from a life of crime whether through schooling, counseling, family support or community programmer’s society’s response is usually to offer a chance for redemption rather than only punishment. The juvenile‐justice system, therefore, is built on the idea that the primary aim is to repair the breach of law, rebuild the individual and ultimately reintegrate the young person into the community as a law‐abiding citizen. This restorative vision stands in stark contrast to the retributive logic that drives most adult criminal processes.
