EXPANDED SUPPORT FOR OLDER YOUTH Criminals
The Youth Court primarily hears situations involving minors under the age of 16 at the moment.  ,
If someone is detained after entering the criminal justice system and is 16 years or older, they are tried as people in the State Court or the Community Court, according to MSF.
According to the government, studies have shown that older children criminals does not also possess the “full mental age of people to understand the seriousness of their crimes.”
To allow for the hearing of these cases in Youth Court, the Children and Young Persons Act ( CYPA ) was updated to include those between the ages of 16 and 18 respectively.  , This is the time class with the highest probability of offending, MSF noted in its statement.
The government stated that” This gives the older children offenders a wider variety of rehabilitation choices to address their needs and lessen reoffending.”
On January 1, 2025, these modifications become effective.
The maneuver will likely expand treatment to about 50 junior offenders in this age group by end-2025, to better give “age-appropriate rehabilitation… catered to their particular risks and needs”.
” MSF has made structural changes to accommodate older students in the MSF Youth Homes, hired and upgraded our employees, and collaborated with educational organizations to increase the academic and vocational services to the residents.”
However, older students who engage in more serious crimes, such as some physical offenses, unregulated moneylending, and drug smuggling, may be subject to legal action in a court of appropriate control, such as the State Courts.
Eric Chua, senior parliamentary secretary for social and family development, expressed his happiness that the rate of youth offending has remained low. We want our youths to stay away from crime, build positive social support systems, and learn skills to reduce reoffending.
Our youths ‘ families, community partners, and volunteers all contribute significant time and effort to these rehabilitation efforts, guiding our youths in the right direction. We are appreciative of each of them for their commitment to assisting our youths in starting fresh and working toward a brighter future.
MSF stated that it will continue to collaborate with government organizations, youths ‘ families, and community partners to ensure that the rehabilitative needs of young offenders are met.
It noted that it also works with the National Committee on Preventing Offending and Reoffending to help young offenders and their families.