This thesis examines the challenges confronted by a developing country such as Uganda in the administration ofjuvenile justice. Despite facing acute and intractable problems of poverty, disease and civil war, Uganda has recently made tentative steps to implement in legislation and practice, some of the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights ofthe Child 1989 relating to juvenile justice. The study is divided into two major sections, dealing with international and domestic developments; and looks at the concept ofjuvenile justice during the pre-colonial, colonial, post-independence and contemporary periods. It centres on an empirical study ofthe impact ofthe Ugandan Children Act 1996 and considers whether it was accompanied by sufficient reforms in institutional structure and personnel training to make it effective. The institutions dealing with juvenile offenders are critically assessed in order to gauge their competence and capability. Further, the punishments imposed on juveniles are examined in order to assess their fairness and proportionality within the terms ofthe Act. The findings indicate that despite significant improvements to the law and serious attempts to comply with international standards, Uganda still has not been able to design new, appropriate and effective responses to the problem ofjuvenile crime. The Di'ssertation argues that the theories put forward t6 explain juvenile crime in the West may not fully explain the situation of African children. A number of loopholes in the legal structure are the result of a failure to take into account the realities of the country's level ofdevelopment, local customs and poverty.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:487580 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Nabisinde, Winifred Nyondo |
| Publisher | University of Sussex |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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