Building Resilient Societies by Redefining Justice for Children in Criminal Legal Systems

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-491-4_24How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Justice for Children; Resilient Societies; Criminal Legal System

Abstract

This paper examines the urgent need to redefine justice for children in criminal legal systems as a foundational step toward building resilient societies, particularly in contexts affected by conflict, poverty, or systemic inequality. Traditional punitive approaches to juvenile justice often fail to account for the developmental stages, psychological vulnerabilities, and complex social backgrounds of children in conflict with the law. Rather than fostering accountability and rehabilitation, such systems may reinforce cycles of trauma, marginalization, and recidivism. Drawing on international human rights instruments, restorative justice principles, and comparative case studies from diverse post-conflict and transitional settings, this study advocates for a paradigm shift toward child-centered legal frameworks that prioritize diversion from formal judicial processes, reintegration into family and community life, and trauma-informed interventions. The paper emphasizes the importance of legal and policy reform, sustained capacity-building for justice system actors, and the development of community-based alternatives to detention. It also underlines the value of including children’s voices in the design and evaluation of justice processes. By placing the rights, dignity, and well-being of children at the heart of justice reform, societies can reduce youth offending, promote healing, and strengthen social cohesion. Ultimately, investing in sustainable justice for children is not only a legal imperative but also a strategic pathway to building inclusive, peaceful, and resilient communities.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Sidik Sunaryo
AU  - Shinta Ayu Purnamawati
AU  - Cekli Setya Pratiwi
AU  - Endah Lestari
AU  - Echa Annisa’ul Izzah
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/11/18
TI  - Building Resilient Societies by Redefining Justice for Children in Criminal Legal Systems
BT  - Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Law Reform (INCLAR 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 264
EP  - 277
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-491-4_24
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-491-4_24
ID  - Sunaryo2025
ER  -