Juvenile Detention Center Inmates Will Undergo Online Investigations Instead of Visiting the Prosecutor's Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Juveniles detained in correctional facilities who receive correctional education will no longer have to go to the prosecutor's office for investigations; instead, they will undergo investigations online from the juvenile detention center.

The Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced on the 1st that remote video investigations between juvenile protection institutions nationwide and prosecutor's offices will be fully implemented.

The protection institutions and prosecutor's offices will coordinate investigation dates, and on the day of the investigation, juveniles in detention centers will be able to connect to the remote video investigation program on the prosecutor's internal network 'E-PROS' to receive the investigation. However, summons investigations will only be possible when it is absolutely necessary to secure statements through face-to-face investigations.

Until now, juveniles in detention centers had to appear at the prosecutor's office for investigations. During this process, they were required to wear protective equipment such as handcuffs and restraints. There have been ongoing claims that this summons investigation method violates human rights.

To address this, the Ministry of Justice received access accounts to the internal network 'E-PROS' from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on September 10th and installed investigation rooms at Seoul and Anyang Juvenile Detention Centers and the Seoul Juvenile Classification Review Center. They conducted pilot remote video investigations with the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Anyang Branch. As a result, it was found to prevent violations of portrait rights and learning rights, relieve juveniles' tension through non-face-to-face investigations, and effectively prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

The manpower and costs required to escort juveniles to the prosecutor's office can also be reduced. Every year, more than 6,000 juveniles appear at prosecutor's offices and courts for investigations. According to Ministry of Justice statistics, there were 6,208 in 2019 and 6,438 last year.

Yoon Woong-jang, Director of the Crime Prevention Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Justice, stated, "We will continue to strive to improve the treatment of juveniles in detention centers and provide effective education."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.