Instances of Fair Trial in Juvenile Criminal Law: A Brief Review of Iranian Law

Abstract

The Sensitivity attached to periods of childhood and adolescence development together with harmful consequences of handling juvenile cases under adult criminal proceedings have called for a special criminal law system to be developed by criminal justice authorities in order to achieve such goals as preventing labeling and recidivism and rehabilitation of delinquent children. In Iranian laws, these juvenile-specific fair trial provisions can be found in the right to special courts, to expedited and in camera trials, to an attorney, to be accompanied by a guardian or parent, and to a wide range of criminal measures. Drawing on a desk research, the present paper discusses major principles of juvenile criminal justice in light of international instruments and clarifies a number of relevant innovations in the Iranian Criminal Procedure (ICP). The findings point to some innovations and development in the ICP in an attempt to align these rules with the international instruments on juvenile criminal justice.