Reflections on the Legal Framework of Law Enforcement in Solving Juvenile Delinquency in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka

Victor Emmanuel Nehru Thevavithuran
State Counsel, Attorney General’s Department

In the past decade, the number of juvenile delinquents in Sri Lanka has drastically increased. The failure of law enforcement authorities in the implementation of legislation regarding juvenile delinquency has led to significant drawbacks in maintaining the juvenile justice system in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, many research papers have focused on the causes and law enforcement of juvenile delinquency. However, this issue has not been fully addressed by previous research, especially considering the Northern Province. The primary objective of this study is to critically analyse the performance of law enforcement authorities and to propose solutions to combat juvenile delinquency in Sri Lanka. The study investigates how law enforcement authorities can upgrade and reform their practices in combating juvenile delinquency. Overall, the study assesses the functional effectiveness of law enforcement authorities and how well they adhere to existing laws related to juvenile justice. This research employs a qualitative research method. Initially, the study analyses past literature on the functions of law enforcement authorities in juvenile delinquency matters, using secondary resources such as local statutes, international conventions, and domestic laws. The primary data, gathered from semi-structured interviews and court observations conducted by the researcher, is examined to identify the effective performance of law enforcement authorities dealing with juvenile delinquents.

Samples are exclusively drawn from the Northern Province. Despite the presence of a special Juvenile Court in the Northern Province to handle juvenile matters, it is revealed that the juvenile delinquency rate has increased drastically in the last decade. According to reliable sources, the rate in the Northern Province is higher than in other provinces in Sri Lanka at a given time. The study found that the existing Juvenile Court structure in the Northern Province has failed to properly implement laws related to juvenile delinquency. Furthermore, it is observed that existing legislation does not adequately facilitate other agencies of the criminal justice system, especially in relation to juvenile delinquency matters. Therefore, the study proposes recommendations to address the identified shortcomings associated with law enforcement authorities when conducting investigations.