The call by a board of inquiry for a major overhaul of the juvenile justice system is greatly welcomed. The wide range of recommendations have emerged as a result of an inquiry into the case of two minors who were sent to prison last year over the theft of a relatively small sum of money.

For too long, children who fall foul of the law have slipped through the holes of the system because no one seems to know what to do with them. They are too young to be treated like adults, and yet their involvement in criminal behaviour at such a young age cannot be brushed aside either.

As things stand, minors are sent to the youth section known as YOURS within Corradino Correctional Facility and, despite the fact that they are separated from older prisoners, the fact remains that they are still being housed in the same prison as hardened criminals.

The recommendation that there should be a completely separate facility for juveniles is long overdue as is the suggestion that the Juvenile Court should start hearing all cases of people under 18, rather than those under 16, as it is now.

All of these reforms are crucial if these youngsters are ever going to be helped to reform themselves and re-enter society. They are still young enough to change their ways and be guided back on the right track. This is the crux of the matter, for if the justice system does not acknowledge this possibility, then we are simply going to have more and more overcrowded facilities without ever solving the problem of delinquency.

Young offenders need to be treated differently, precisely because of their age. Troubled and difficult backgrounds or perhaps simply making the mistake of falling into the wrong crowd has led them to where they are, but with the proper structure, the downward spiral into further deviant behaviour can be stemmed.

Of course, the growing problem of juvenile delinquents is exacerbated by the lack of enough social and youth workers who are already facing burnout: The inquiry found that each professional has to handle around 40 cases which is an inhumane task for anyone. It is in the matter of human resources that the reform of the juvenile justice system faces its biggest challenge – if there are simply not enough existing qualified professionals to handle the workload then no amount of recommendations can be realistically implemented.

Here is where bureaucracy and lack of sufficient planning come in: There is a substantial number of students presently reading for degrees in social and youth work yet there seem to be few possibilities for them to find secure, long-term employment in this field, despite the obvious need for them. Funding is simply not available to employ the amount of professionals required. These are the issues which need to be resolved if we do not want to have any more children who are lost in the system.