Guidelines Manual on Juvenile Justice Best Practices: An evidence-based approach to the justice reforms in Kenya

In Kenya – while official statistics are not available – children held in custody in statutory institutions may be around 3,000 in any given day. Though Juvenile Justice Actors have legal and ethical obligations towards them, policy makers and practitioners lack evidence-based practices focused on a child rights centered administration of justice.

This publication, in the format of a Guidelines Manual, showcases how label practices have been consolidated and have thus provided concrete ground for replication through the “Improving the Kenya Juvenile Justice System” EU funded project. The book shows how children can be placed at the core of the justice system, detailing what needs to be done to protect them, how this needs to be done and the key people responsible. It presents how children can be engaged as actors in sensitizing justice agencies on reforms through participatory theater. It details steps of case management for application of child protection minimum standards across statutory institutions and it redefines child’s reintegration as a process rather than an event using family conferencing. Furthermore, it redesigns the institutions service delivery through a child centered three-section model. Finally, it deals with the priority of improving coordination among Juvenile Justice Actors through the newly established Children Court Users Committees.

Thus, this publication is a significant aide to delivering accountable, consistent and transparent administration of justice to children, as the replication and dissemination of these best practices may result in more effective inter-agency cooperation as well as in a more consistent and strong system for child protection.