Justice delivery must focus on reducing crime to negligible levels –AG. CEO of NYA
Acting CEO of the National Youth Authority, Mr. Nelson Owusu Ansah has said justice delivery among young people must go beyond reformation to focus on bringing the incidences of crime down to negligible levels.
Mr. Owusu Ansah made the call as keynote speaker at a stakeholder engagement leading to the launch of Youth Justice Project an initiative of Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) on Wednesday, 14th April, 2021 at the Mensvic Hotel in Accra, on the theme, Promoting Stakeholder Responsibility towards Youth in Conflict with the Law, Youth at Risk of Offending the Law and Youth Ex-Detainees in Ghana.
Making reference to the recent happenings at Kasoa of the murder of a 10 year old boy by two juveniles, Mr. Owusu Ansah said issues bothering on the vulnerabilities of young people must be thoroughly discussed and dissected to adequately inform and to shape policy relating to youth justice delivery.
“Young people need systems that work in their interests, uplifts them, invests in their welfare and exploits their potentials to enable them live and thrive meaningfully. With their exposure to the many external influences, most of which may be negative, an in-depth assessment of youth vulnerabilities could lead policy makers and stakeholders alike to proffer right interventions leading to their reorientation and rehabilitation” Mr. Owusu Ansah stated.
He tasked participants to move the discussions beyond offering interventions to also address stereotypes amongst young offenders taking into consideration their rights which must also be safeguarded.
He went on to say that the justice delivery system must deepen skills impartation and also emphasize on mindset and attitudinal changes especially in relation to the reintegration of ex-detainees into society to enable them make positive contributions to the development of their communities.
Finally the Acting CEO thanked the YMCA for initiating the project and commended them for getting the real actors in the justice delivery system on board to make input into the discussions.
“Let me wish the project implementers well and it is my fervent expectation that this engagement will result in in positive outcomes and strategies that will advance the cause of youth development in Ghana, whiles impacting positively on our country’s youth and juvenile justice delivery systems” Mr. Owusu Ansah concluded.
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