Abstract
Switzerland is a country of 7.5 millions inhabitants, of whom about 1 million are children and youths from age 7 to 18. The political system is a Federation of States, each with important decentralized power. The States making up the Helvetica Confederation are called “cantons” and there are 26 of them.
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- 1.
Not yet decided by the Swiss Department of Justice (Ministry).
- 2.
Statistics on criminal convictions of minors in 1999 (Jusus), Swiss Federal Statistical Office, Bern, April 2001.
- 3.
Statistics on criminal convictions for minors in Switzerland (“Condemnations pénales des mineurs en Suisse”), Swiss Federal Statistical Office, Bern and Neuchatel.
- 4.
Statistics provided by the “juvenile Courts for French-speaking Switzerland.”
- 5.
2001 statistics from the Cantonal police of Valais, Sion, February 2002, p. 27.
- 6.
2001 statistics from the Cantonal police of Fribourg.
- 7.
Statistics OFS, 2003, p. 24, figure 13.
- 8.
Arts. 82 to 99, Swiss Criminal Code.
- 9.
Zermatten J., Face à l'évolution des droits de l'enfant, quel système judiciaire: système de protection ou système de justice?, in Revue internationale de criminologie et de police technique, n° 2, Geneva, 1994.
- 10.
Namely in several states in the USA and in England.
- 11.
Convention of the Rights of the Child, 20 November 1989.
- 12.
United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice, 29 November 1985.
- 13.
United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (The Riyadh Guidelines).
- 14.
United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty, 14 December 1990.
- 15.
Draft law on juvenile justice (United Nations — Vienna), September 1997.
- 16.
Namely art. 37 and 40, Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- 17.
D'Amours, O., 100 ans de justice juvénile, IDE (Institute of the Child's Rights), 2002, pp. 106–115.
- 18.
Arts. 91, 93 bis 93 Swiss Criminal Code.
- 19.
Activity Report 2001 of Association Familles Solidaires, Pl. Be-Air 2, 1003, Lausanne. “Familles solidaires” is a nongovernmental organization (NGO), namely an association founded in the beginning to take care of the victims of sexual abuse. After a few years' experience, this association decided to provide care for the perpetrators of abuse as well, and set up self-help groups for minor delinquents charged of sexual abuse. Minor Courts can dispose of these measures.
- 20.
Art. 95, ch. 1 para. 2, Swiss Criminal Code. VS = Valais, VD = Vaud, GE = Genève, FR = Fribourg, NE = Neuchâtel, JU = Jura
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Zermatten, J. (2006). The Swiss Federal Statute on Juvenile Criminal Law. In: Junger-Tas, J., Decker, S.H. (eds) International Handbook of Juvenile Justice. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4970-6_11
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