GEORGETOWN – Guyana’s approach to youth crime is on the brink of a massive overhaul, with Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond announcing sweeping reforms to the juvenile justice system. The Minister, who previously served as a Magistrate, is prioritizing rehabilitation, mentorship, and reintegration over traditional imprisonment and punishment. Speaking on Hits and Jams Radio, Minister Walrond reflected on her time on the bench, revealing that the incarceration of young offenders has long been a deep concern. She confirmed that an overhaul is now set to address this long-standing problem.
The Minister revealed that her Ministry of Home Affairs will collaborate with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Protection to launch a specialized juvenile offenders’ rehabilitation programme. This initiative is designed to help young people turn their lives around and return to society as productive citizens, rather than facing permanent criminalization. The core of the initiative involves structural and legal reform. The Minister disclosed that amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act are currently under review, with the Head of the Juvenile Justice Programme tasked with strengthening the legislation. Crucially, juveniles in state custody up to the age of 18 will soon benefit from a structured mentorship component and a full diversification program. Additional support systems will focus on behavior-modification and addressing the underlying social causes of youth crime.
Minister Walrond championed the move as a “new era” in juvenile justice, where intervention is replacing incarceration. She recalled the time when she was a Magistrate and “children found walking around the streets aimlessly were criminalised.” She highlighted that the current Juvenile Justice Act of 2018 has already laid the groundwork for this shift, establishing the specialized Children’s Court and prioritizing diversion programmes, legal representation, and social reintegration, in line with international best practices. The Minister’s upcoming initiatives, which supplement the existing Children’s Courts (specialized judicial bodies focusing on rehabilitation for minors under 17), will represent a “transformative shift” in how Guyana treats its young offenders, aiming to build pathways for redemption rather than cycles of incarceration.
