A Turkish parliamentary commission investigating juvenile delinquency has prepared a comprehensive report proposing tougher penalties, stricter family accountability and expanded monitoring mechanisms aimed at preventing children from being drawn into crime, according to findings expected to be submitted to Parliament after the Eid al-Adha holiday.
The commission, established under the leadership of ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) lawmaker Müşerref Pervin Tuba Durgut, spent months conducting field studies, listening to experts and collecting institutional opinions as part of its work on children involved in criminal offenses.
The report by the Parliamentary Commission on Children Driven to Crime includes recommendations directed at multiple ministries, including the Justice Ministry, Interior Ministry, Family Ministry, Education Ministry, and Youth and Sports Ministry.
Among the most notable proposals are calls to reconsider sentence reductions applied to minors convicted of serious crimes and to strengthen deterrence measures in the juvenile justice system.
The report specifically references public debate surrounding high-profile murder cases involving minors, including those of Atlas Çağlayan and Ahmet Minguzzi, and argues that age-based sentence reductions for offenders between the ages of 15 and 18 should be revised in a more gradual manner.
It also recommends limiting sentence reductions for certain severe crimes or leaving such decisions to judicial discretion. The commission further called for a stricter execution system and for narrowing the scope of probation-style measures to reinforce deterrence.
Under current Turkish law, the maximum prison sentence for offenders under the age of 18 can reach 24 years, though reductions may significantly shorten the term served.
The report additionally recommended examining whether Türkiye’s age of criminal responsibility, currently set at 12, should be lowered to 10, similar to the system in the United Kingdom.
The commission also highlighted shortcomings in the implementation of protective and preventive measures imposed on children and their families.
It proposed the creation of sanction mechanisms for both minors and parents who fail to comply with court-ordered measures, while emphasizing that authorities should systematically monitor not only the implementation of such measures but also their outcomes.
The report called for specialized courts or units to oversee juvenile protection processes and urged stronger coordination and feedback systems among institutions.
A significant portion of the recommendations focused on family responsibility and early intervention.
The commission proposed mandatory mechanisms to ensure active family participation in rehabilitation processes, broader educational and awareness programs for parents and, in some cases, administrative or criminal sanctions aimed at increasing parental responsibility.
It also recommended stronger protection measures for children growing up in high-risk family environments.
Additional recommendations included introducing lessons on basic law, responsibility and social rules into school curricula, expanding education on bullying, social media influence and crime awareness, and establishing systems to identify school dropouts and at-risk children at an early stage.
The report further urged the creation of neighborhood-based social risk analyses, individualized monitoring systems for children deemed vulnerable to criminal involvement, and greater efforts to direct children toward social, sports and vocational activities.
