Deterrents to Access to Pre-Trial Diversion Services by Juvenile Offenders in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of Chitungwiza

The study aimed at critically examining the antecedent factors affecting access to Pre-Trial Diversion services by juvenile offenders from high-density suburbs in Zimbabwe. To this end, Chitungwiza District was selected as the study‘s location but targeting participants who were under the Justice for Children organisation. The study‘s key objectives were: to profile the Pre-Trial Diversion programme as a tool to access restorative justice, assess the factors or barriers behind juvenile offenders‘ failure to access diversion services and finally, to suggest possible intervention measures to improve access to the aforementioned services. Thus, the restorative justice theory grounds the study as it advocates and sets parameters for the establishment of a child-friendly justice system. Again, the study adopted the qualitative research approach and more so, case study design informed the study. To this end, data were collected from participants using a combined set of data collection methods including documentary review, in-depth and key informant interviews coupled with Focus Group Discussions. Submissions from participants revealed that there are many diversion options provided for juvenile offenders and that most of these juvenile however, lacked the impetus to access diversion services due to a myriad of barriers. These factors generally include limited diversion options, resource constraints, shortage of skilled labour, knowledge, poor involvement of significant others, poor infrastructure, beliefs and perceptions about the causes of juvenile offending, lack of political will and the absence of the Child Justice Act. Cognisant of these barriers to this end, it was recommended that there is need to expedite the enactment of the Child-related Bills into law, increase awareness raising on children‘s rights, enhance capacity building among key stakeholders, coupled with decentralising the programme while increasing participation of parents or guardians in diversion processes