Who is a juvenile delinquent and a juvenile at risk of delinquency?
According to Federal Law No. 6 of 2022 Concerning Juvenile Delinquent and Juvenile at Risk of Delinquency, a juvenile delinquent is a child who commits offence punishable by the Federal Law by Decree No 31 of 2021 Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law or any other law. Moreover, a juvenile at risk of delinquency is a child whose moral, sexual, physical, psychological, mental, intellectual or educational integrity may be exposed to risk that may lead to his being considered a juvenile delinquent.
Juvenile criminal liability
Age of criminal liability
The measures applied to a juvenile offender depend on their age at the time of committing the offence. If at the time of committing the offence, the age was:
- under 12 years, then the child would not be held criminally responsible. The Public Prosecution may take appropriate measures for their protection or rehabilitation, if needed.
- between 12 and 16 years, the court may apply the judicial measures set out in the law instead of criminal penalties.
- 16 years or above, the court may apply the judicial measures provided by law instead of the prescribed penalties.
Judgment rules against juvenile delinquents
The following rules apply when a court sentences a juvenile:
- a juvenile cannot be sentenced to the death penalty or imprisonment
- if the offence carries a death sentence or imprisonment, it is replaced with detention for a period of no more than 10 years
- the detention period cannot exceed half of the maximum penalty set for the original offence
- any detention sentence imposed on a juvenile is served in a juvenile facility. If the juvenile turns 18 years old before completing the sentence, they will be transferred to a correctional facility to serve the remaining period.
Legal guarantees for juvenile trials
Juveniles are provided with a number of legal safeguards.
- If a juvenile commits more than one offence before a judgement is issued for any of them, all offences will be considered together, and the penalty applied will be based on the most serious offence.
- If it is discovered after a judgement has been issued that the juvenile had committed another offence, the court may decide to apply only the measures or penalties already imposed.
Protection of the juvenile's privacy
The law protects the privacy and reputation of juveniles by:
- prohibiting the publication of a juvenile’s name, photo, investigation details, trial proceedings, or judgement in the media or on social media, unless authorised by the court or Public Prosecution
- taking the necessary measures to protect the juvenile’s private life, and prevent the publication or sharing of any information or materials that may harm the juvenile or their family
- giving urgent consideration to any request related to protecting the juvenile, whether submitted by the juvenile, their guardian, the police or the Public Prosecution.
Judicial measures for juveniles
If a juvenile is convicted of an offence, the court may apply one or more of the following judicial measures, depending on what is in the juvenile’s best interests:
- judicial supervision
- electronic monitoring
- community service
- prohibition from carrying out certain work
- mandatory vocational training
- placement in a healthcare facility
- placement in a juvenile facility
- placement in the National Counselling Centre.
Read more:
Care of juvenile delinquents in Dubai
Community Development Authority in Dubai provides social and psychological support and appropriate rehabilitation to children under 18 years who face behavioural challenges or circumstances that may lead to delinquency. This service is for children of all nationalities who live in Dubai. The service focuses on early intervention, assessing each juvenile’s situation, and developing suitable rehabilitation plans in cooperation with the family and relevant authorities. This helps improve behaviour, promote responsibility, and support the juvenile’s successful reintegration into society.
The service includes the following steps:
- submitting an application and
- receiving a response from the authority to provide more information about the juvenile and family situation.
Thereafter, the authority will:
- develop an appropriate intervention and rehabilitation plan with specialists
- monitor the implementation of the plan and recommended measures and
- evaluate the outcomes and close the case after completing the required care and rehabilitation procedures.
Useful inks:
- SOUN Center for Care & Rehabilitation – Community Development Authority Dubai
- Community Development Authority launches 'Family Day' initiative – Emirates New Agency (WAM)
Updated on:
09 Jul 2026
