A Comparative Study on the Legal Framework Governing Juvenile Offenders in Malaysia and India

VIVIANA VENNY LAMANDAU, MOHD ZAMRE MOHD ZAHIR

Abstract


Malaysia’s juvenile justice system has experienced substantial alteration, notably after the introduction of the Child Act 2001, which replaced the Juvenile Courts Act 1947 (Act 611) and brought it in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Despite this legal move, fundamental flaws persist in the system's actual operation. The main difficulty is the uncertain prioritising of rehabilitation above vengeance, notably in section 91 of the Act, which lacks explicit guidelines to orient the Court for Children towards rehabilitative justice. Furthermore, juvenile criminals are still sentenced to adult criminal proceedings, and diversionary alternatives are underutilised, as demonstrated in Public Prosecutor v Chong Waijun [2025] MLJU 514. The purpose of this study is to determine how well Malaysia's juvenile justice system meets its rehabilitative promises while also adhering to international legal norms. The study uses a doctrinal and qualitative legal research approach to conduct a comparative analysis of India's Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015.The findings show that Malaysia's system falls short of establishing child-centered justice and consistently using international instruments like the Beijing Rules. The research proposes broad legislative change, clearer judicial standards, and increased use of diversionary procedures. It finds that significant reforms are required to guarantee a rights-based, rehabilitative approach to juvenile justice in Malaysia.

Keywords


Child Act 2001; Juvenile Offender; Juvenile Justice; Rehabilitation; Restorative Justice

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References


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