Juvenile criminal proceedings: role and tasks of the defence in preliminary proceedings
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- Published: April 25, 2023
The Kosovo Juvenile Justice Code of 2018 regulates criminal proceedings against juveniles in Kosovo and specifies significant procedural features and sanction options for juvenile offenders. In particular, the law contains several out-of-court diversionary measures which, under certain conditions, may lead to the juvenile criminal proceedings being dropped.
Against this backdrop, the IRZ, in cooperation with the Kosovo Bar Association, organised a seminar on 11-12 March 2023 on “juvenile criminal proceedings” in Prizren, Kosovo. The aim of the event was to compare legal perspectives, and an expert exchange on the role of the defence in juvenile criminal proceedings with a special focus on the investigation procedure.
On behalf of the IRZ, Mr. Lukas Pieplow, specialist lawyer for criminal law and former member of the national board of the Deutsche Vereinigung für Jugendgerichte und Jugendgerichtshilfen e.V. (German Association for Juvenile Courts and Juvenile Legal Support Agencies), presented the German legal framework and case studies from his professional practice. Mr. Pieplow reported on the historical development of German juvenile criminal law and discussed the prevailing educational thinking in juvenile criminal law with the participants.
The event also provided an opportunity to exchange views on various issues in juvenile criminal proceedings, including communication between the defence, the Public Prosecutor's Office and the court, the role of juvenile legal support agencies and aspects of the infrastructure and financing of alternative “out-of-court” measures.
A total of approx. 45 lawyers took part in the discussions on the two days of the event. In addition to the theoretical explanations, best practices and specific options for action by the legal profession in the investigation procedure were also explored, and the difficulties in implementation in both countries were also discussed.
The event was financed by the Federal Ministry of Justice and is part of the long-standing cooperation between the IRZ and the Kosovo Bar Association in the field of juvenile criminal law.