Search results for category: Law EnforcementIn 2001, the Criminal Procedure Act was amended to regulate what are now called plea and sentence agreements, with all-party support, to comply with the new constitution. The NPA duly issued another set of directives setting out how the procedure is to be used by it... . In fact, the agreements are now taking on a life of their own, with the result that an alternative type of prosecution and criminal trial is developing in SA, in which the NPA appears to be taking on the role of the court.
Offenders in Torbay are being given a taste of their own medicine as police jack up a tried and tested system of showing culprits the error of their ways. They are being given a dose of 'hard labour' at the scene of their crimes in the hope they will see the light and stay out of trouble.It could include anything from washing buses to repainting beach huts and wiping out grafitti.
About two hundred individuals who will eventually play the role as frontlines in the implementation of a new law on minor offenders were gathered at the Ampil Pensionne here Tuesday, April 11, for a day-long orientation and dialogue on juvenile justice. The gathering, officially called “Juvenile Justice Administration on 7 Pillars of Juvenile Justice System and Orientation on RA 9344,” was attended by barangay captains from this city’s 70 barangays, Chiefs of Police from the various municipal/city police stations, social workers from municipal/city DSWD offices province-wide, non-government organizations (NGOs), and some other national line government offices.
Ontario plans to soften its approach to delinquent students with changes to its zero-tolerance Safe Schools Act before the next school year begins... . The act has long been criticized for overly harsh discipline and for unfairly targeting students who are minorities, even sparking complaints to the province's human rights commission.
Since 1998 the group has brought first-time offenders and their victims together to repair harm caused by criminal activity like break-and-enter, theft, assault, arson, vandalism and more. CRAYA saw a total of 208 referrals in 2006, most of which came from the RCMP but also for the first time from loss prevention officers (LPOs) in local retail stores. Of the total referrals, 137 were deemed “suitable” for the program, he added.
Standing before an adult volunteer judge, a jury of Taunton High School students recommended a sentence for a student who punched through a classroom window in a fit of rage.
Kory Douglas of the Lafayette County Victim/Witness Program in the District Attorney's Office, said the program is certainly beneficial. "It's a great opportunity for the victims to be able to address their offenders and for the offenders to be able to apologize Š to face the victims so that they are able to be a close-knit community," she said.
Sheriza Ramouthar, Deputy Director of Prosecutions for the NPA, said that until now the criminal justice system has had a "primarily reactive" approach to dealing with crime, adding that it was necessary to come up with more proactive strategies... . She described how many prosecutors often had to go beyond the call of duty and provide trauma counselling by default to crime victims. "Victims become secondary victims again [when they testify]. They do not have trauma counselling unless they can afford it."
"All restitution must be paid by certified check or money order," Mashburn said. "Obviously, personal checks will not be accepted."
School officials had said they wanted to handle the matter internally and had worked out agreements with the boys' families that included disciplinary action and restitution. Two of the boys apologized to the student body during a chapel service, saying that what was meant to be a "simple prank" escalated, according to a school press release.
But Prosecutor Tony Tague, who later started his own investigation and met with school officials, said the students should be prosecuted because a serious crime had been committed, and a message needed to be sent to students across the county that actions have consequences. The five were charged three weeks after the vandalism.
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