A specialized team of police for juvenile offenders has commenced operations across Tehran, announced Hussein Sajedinia, the city police chief.
“The initiative was launched by the Tehran Law Enforcement Forces, and extensive research and planning went into establishing the force,” IRNA quoted him as saying.
It has officially begun serving in greater Tehran under Article 31 in the latest revision of the Criminal Code of Procedure.
Noting that every member of the specialized force has undergone training to acquire skills needed to handle children and adolescents, Sajedinia said, “Experts in the fields of sociology, psychology, and counseling are also included to deal with juvenile offenders and victims.”
In recent years a higher proportion of youth in their early 20s globally are being arrested for various offenses compared to the past. The average age of prisoners in Iran has declined to 30 years from 36 in the last decade. Most of the cyber criminals are in the 16-17 age groups, as stated by Asghar Jahangir, head of Iran’s Prisons Organization.
Most legal systems across the world prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as establishing juvenile detention centers and courts.
Sajedinia noted that tackling social ills among the youth, preventing misdemeanors during the teen years, and segregating juvenile delinquency from adult crime are the main objectives of the new police force.
“We try to prevent social ills among juvenile offenders who are also victims of social circumstances since adolescents are vulnerable and their abuse during this critical period could lead them into criminal behavior in later years.”
In the newly-established force, women police are included to give a more supportive feeling to young offenders.
The entire force is comprised of judicial police officers, and will pursue each case at police stations under the auspices of the Law Enforcement Forces of Iran.
