YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN CRIME |
for “youth”. Internationally, there is no universally agreed international definition for “youth”. As signatories to agreements with the United Nations, The Commonwealth and USAID the definition of the age of youth are inherently conflicted and so Barbados, Grenada and St. Vincent & the Grenadines have their own definitions which direct legislation. The United Nations (UN) define youth as persons 15-24 years old. Member states of the UN including Commonwealth members have their own independent definitions. Most Caribbean nations are members of the Commonwealth and have strong historical ties which impact regulations and culture. “Youth” has been defined as 15-29 years old which is reinforced under the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment (PAYE) 2006-2015. The Caribbean countries in this study essentially define youth in a manner which encompasses the UN age range of 15-24 and the Commonwealth age range of 15-29. In Barbados (Barbados Youth Policy 2011) and Grenada persons aged 15-29 are considered youth while in St. Vincent and the Grenadines youth is 16-35. In all countries persons become legally adult at 18 and only Barbados maintains the death penalty which is applicable to adults. The age of criminal responsibility is at age 12 in Grenada and St. Vincent unlike Barbados where the age is 11. The age differences in what is considered a juvenile is very different which in Barbados is 12-15, in Grenada under 18 and in St. Vincent 12-13. The discrepancies between Barbados and its neighbours should be eliminated once the Child Justice Bill 2023 replaces existing legislation after public consultation and feedback. This bill is still before the House and it is unsure when it will be passed. Media houses typically consider youth to be under 30 years old and minors under 18. There is a lack of consistency in the definition of youth between NGOs and government in two of the countries. For instance, The Ministry of Youth in Grenada recognizes youth as being 18-35 and notwithstanding the Youth Policy, Barbadian NGOs and government typically use 11-30 and the term “juvenile” is only used in law enforcement reports. In contrast St. Vincent & the Grenadines has a high level of consistency. With so many varying definitions of youth, when someone is exposed to a media story their concept of what youth is can be different and this can only be safeguarded by stating the ages of the subject(s) of the stories. This begs the question, what are the norms and regulations for covering youth crimes? Media in Barbados are guided by the Juvenile Offenders Act Cap 138, Part 11 3 (6)(7): (6) no person shall publish the name, address, school, photograph, or anything likely to lead to the identification of the child or young person before the juvenile court, save with the court’s permission or in so far as required by this act (7) Any person who acts in contravention of subscription (6) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of $96. The Prosecution Code for Conduct is the standard guide for the prosecution department of the Royal Grenada Police Force. There are no official broadcast laws or regulations which provide guidance, so the code is used as a guide by media houses. The code says the name or identity particulars of a protected witness, including a complainant in a sexual offence, a blackmail victim, or a juvenile defendant, has to be authorized.
A Media Analysis of the Coverage of Youth Involvement in Crime and Violence and Trafficking in Persons (June 2021 to June 2023) in the Eastern Caribbean 27
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