The Attorney-General's Chambers should carry out an...

The Attorney-General's Chambers should carry out an in-depth study before amending the Juvenile Court Act 1948, a lawyer, Karpal Singh, said.He said the death sentence, which is mandatory for murder, should not be extended to a juvenile who is charged for committing that offence or any other offence which carries the sentence.
Recent cases of serious crime committed by juveniles include the shocking rape and murder of three young girls, have raised controversy over the current juvenile law.
The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Rais Yatim said that the government felt the time had come for the juvenile law to be reviewed to provide for jail sentences for young offenders who committed serious crimes.
Bar Council chairman Mah Weng Kwai said young offenders should be imprisoned in cases such as premeditated serious offences or where offenders showed no immaturity, ignorance or moral compunction. But he stressed that in order to turn young offenders back to the right path, the punishment meted out by the court should be tailored to fit the crime.