Government bill · 20th Knesset · published as law 11 August 2016
חוק הנוער (שפיטה, ענישה ודרכי טיפול) (תיקון מס' 22 - הוראת שעה), התשע"ו-2016Youth Law (Jurisdiction, Punishment and Treatment Methods) (Amendment No. 22 - temporary provision), 2016 · automatic translation · suggest a correction
Status: התקבלה בקריאה שלישית
Topics: Welfare and social security*, Courts and criminal law*, Family, children and equality · * from the Knesset's official law classification · no asterisk — automatically from words in the title
Official summary of the law (Knesset)
The Youth Law (Adjudication, Punishment and Modes of Treatment), 1971, established prior to the amendment, that a prison sentence could not be imposed on a minor who had not yet reached the age of 14 on the day the sentence was handed down. In the amendment to the Law, a temporary provision was established for a period of three years, according to which the court will be authorized to order that a minor convicted of manslaughter, murder or attempted murder, who had not yet reached the age of 14 on the day the sentence was handed down, be held in a closed facility for a period to be determined, and that the continuation of serving his sentence will be served in prison at a later stage, provided that at the time of his transfer to prison the minor will have reached at least 14 years of age. The court will be authorized to order as stated only after weighing the circumstances of the case, the effect of imprisonment on the minor, the age of the minor at the time the offense was committed, and the minor's personal circumstances. If the court ordered holding in a closed facility and later transfer to prison as stated, the court will hold a follow-up hearing, toward the end of the period of holding in the closed facility and before the minor's transfer to prison. In this hearing, the court will be authorized to order the postponement of the imprisonment and the continued holding of the minor in the closed facility for the period remaining to complete the sentence, the shortening of the term of imprisonment, or the cancellation of the imprisonment and the continued holding of the minor in a closed facility, all for a period that will not exceed, in aggregate, the period remaining to complete the sentence that was ordered.
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Hebrew original
חוק הנוער (שפיטה, ענישה ודרכי טיפול), התשל"א–1971, קבע לפני התיקון, כי לא ניתן להטיל עונש מאסר על קטין שטרם מלאו לו 14 שנים ביום מתן גזר הדין. בתיקון לחוק, נקבעה הוראת שעה לפרק זמן של שלוש שנים, לפיה בית המשפט יהיה רשאי לצוות שקטין שהורשע בעבירת הריגה, רצח או ניסיון לרצח ושטרם מלאו לו 14 שנים ביום מתן גזר הדין, יוחזק במעון נעול לפרק הזמן שיקבע, וכי המשך נשיאת עונשו תרוצה במאסר בשלב מאוחר יותר, ובלבד שבעת העברתו למאסר ימלאו לקטין 14 שנים לפחות. בית המשפט יהיה רשאי לצוות כאמור, רק לאחר ששקל את נסיבות המקרה, השפעת המאסר על הקטין, גיל הקטין בעת ביצוע העבירה ונסיבותיו האישיות של הקטין. אם ציווה בית המשפט על החזקה במעון נעול והעברה מאוחר יותר למאסר כאמור, יקיים בית המשפט דיון מעקב, לקראת תום תקופת ההחזקה במעון הנעול ולפני העברתו של הקטין למאסר. בדיון זה, בית המשפט יהיה רשאי להורות על דחיית המאסר והמשך החזקתו של הקטין במעון הנעול לתקופה שנותרה להשלמת העונש, על קיצור תקופת המאסר או על ביטול המאסר ועל המשך החזקתו של הקטין במעון נעול, כל זאת לתקופה שלא תעלה במצטבר על התקופה שנותרה להשלמת העונש עליו הורה.
Sponsors
Readings
- 29 March 2016 · First reading · להעביר את הצעת החוק לוועדההצעת חוק הנוער (שפיטה, ענישה ודרכי טיפול) (דרכי ענישה - הוראת שעה), התשע"ו-2016Bill of Youth (Jurisdiction, Punishment and Treatment Methods) (Punishment Methods - temporary provision), 2016autoBill passed first reading19 for · 13 against
- 2 August 2016 · Third reading · אישור החוקהצעת חוק הנוער (שפיטה, ענישה ודרכי טיפול) (תיקון מס' 22 - הוראת שעה), התשע"ו-2016Bill on Youth (Jurisdiction, Punishment and Treatment Methods) (Amendment No. 22 - temporary provision), 2016autoLaw passed32 for · 16 against · 1 abst.
What was said in the plenum
The bill seeks to allow the court to impose a prison sentence on minors convicted of murder, attempted murder or manslaughter even if they have not yet reached the age of 14 at the time of sentencing, with the imprisonment component to begin only from age 14 onward, as a temporary provision for three years. The debate focused mainly on the question of whether the amendment serves justified protection of human life and effective implementation of judgments, or whether it harms fundamental principles of the age of criminal responsibility and the rehabilitative approach underlying the Youth Law.
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Hebrew original
הצעת החוק מבקשת לאפשר לבית-המשפט להטיל עונש מאסר על קטינים שהורשעו ברצח, ניסיון רצח או הריגה אף אם לא מלאו להם 14 שנים במועד גזר הדין, כאשר רכיב המאסר יחל להתבצע רק מגיל 14 ואילך, וזאת כהוראת שעה לשלוש שנים. הדיון נסב בעיקר על השאלה האם התיקון משרת הגנה מוצדקת על חיי אדם ומימוש אפקטיבי של פסקי-דין, או שהוא פוגע בעקרונות יסוד של גיל האחריות הפלילית ובגישה השיקומית שעומדת בבסיס חוק הנוער.
Arguments for
- The existing legal situation devalues the value of human life because a minor under the age of 14 cannot be imprisoned even when he has committed murder or attempted murder, and thus the court cannot actually carry out the sentence it itself has determined.שרת המשפטים איילת שקד, Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home)
- This is a new and exceptional phenomenon of minors of a very young age carrying out murder and terror attacks out of incitement and hatred, and therefore a special legal response is needed to protect the public.
- The law is balanced and sensitive because the minor will remain in a closed facility until age 14 and will not enter prison before that, and the transfer to a youth prison is carried out only after review by a special committee and with ongoing monitoring.שרת המשפטים איילת שקד, Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home)
- The law was formulated in consultation with government professional bodies (welfare, social services, health) and was not decided upon arbitrarily.Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home)
- The law makes no distinction between a Jewish murderer and an Arab murderer - the arrangement applies equally to any minor who committed murder, attempted murder, or manslaughter.Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home)
Arguments against
- Effectively lowering the age of criminal responsibility harms a basic principle that has been entrenched for decades in Israeli and international law, according to which minors below a certain age must not be brought to full criminal trial or imprisoned, regardless of the severity of the act.Yousef Jabareen (Joint List), Osama Saadi (Joint List)
- There is no principled distinction justifying the new line that was set - if the logic is that a 13-year-old minor deserves imprisonment, there is no logical reason to exempt a minor aged 12.5 or 11.5, and the logic necessarily leads to further lowering of the age in the future.Esawi Frej (Meretz), Osama Saadi (Joint List)
- The purpose of the Youth Law is the rehabilitation of the minor and opening a new chapter in his life, not his imprisonment for many years as an adult; sending a 13-year-old child to life imprisonment contradicts this purpose.Osama Saadi (Joint List)
- The law is based on a small number of exceptional cases (particularly the case of Ahmad Manasra), and there is no justification for changing a fundamental and sensitive arrangement due to isolated incidents, especially since this was not done even during the previous intifadas.Yousef Jabareen (Joint List), Osama Saadi (Joint List)
- In most democratic countries, the age of criminal responsibility for imprisonment is above 14, and sometimes even 15, and the State of Israel is also a signatory to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, so the amendment worsens the existing situation and contradicts the international trend.Yousef Jabareen (Joint List)
Who spoke (8)
| Member | Faction | Readings | Speeches | In the final vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שרת המשפטים איילת שקד | — | First reading | 1 | — |
| Esawi Frej | Meretz opposition | First reading | 2 | no record |
| Aida Touma Sliman | Joint List opposition | First reading | 2 | no record |
| Oren Asaf Hazan | Likud coalition | First reading | 2 | no record |
| Yousef Jabareen | Joint List opposition | First reading | 5 | against |
| Osama Saadi | Joint List opposition | First reading, Third reading | 9 | against |
| Nissan Slomiansky | Jewish Home coalition | Third reading | 7 | for |
| Anat Berko | Likud coalition | Third reading | 2 | for |
An automatic summary of the plenum transcripts: the debate on the bill at every reading it was voted on. Arguments are given as the speakers made them; this is not an assessment. The list of speakers comes from the transcript, without a model. Transcripts of the sittings: 1, 2
Reservations to the second reading
2 reservations were filed: proposed changes to the text the committee brought to the second and third reading.
The reservations filed to Section 1 seek to shorten the duration of the temporary provision and narrow the scope of offenses to which it applies, and no reservations were filed to Section 2.
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Hebrew original
ההסתייגויות שהוגשו לסעיף 1 מבקשות לקצר את תקופת הוראת השעה ולצמצם את היקף העבירות החלות עליה, ולסעיף 2 לא הוגשו הסתייגויות.
By faction
- Zionist Union opposition · 2 reservations · 1 member
- Joint List opposition · 2 reservations · 1 member
A joint reservation counts for every faction whose members filed it.
Who proposed what
- אוסאמה סעדי וזוהיר בהלול · 2The reservations seek to shorten the duration of the temporary provision from three years to one year, and to narrow the list of offenses listed in subsection (f) so that it includes only an offense under Section 300 instead of Sections 298, 300, or 305.Sections: לסעיף 1
Asked to speak: Anat Berko (Likud), Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union), Tzipi Livni (Zionist Union), Shelly Yachimovich (Zionist Union), Stav Shaffir (Zionist Union), Itzik Shmuli (Zionist Union), Omer Barlev (Zionist Union), Yehiel Hilik Bar (Zionist Union), Amir Peretz (Zionist Union), Merav Michaeli (Zionist Union), Eitan Cabel (Zionist Union), Manuel Trajtenberg (Zionist Union), Erel Margalit (Zionist Union), Micky Rosenthal (Zionist Union), Revital Swid (Zionist Union), Yoel Hasson (Zionist Union), Eytan Broshi (Zionist Union), Michal Biran (Zionist Union), Nachman Shai (Zionist Union), Ksenia Svetlova (Zionist Union), Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin (Zionist Union), Yoseph Yonah (Zionist Union), Eyal Ben Reuven (Zionist Union), Yael Cohen Paran (Zionist Union)
Proposers and reservation numbers are extracted automatically from the committee version, and the count is checked against the numbers printed in it. The descriptions are an automatic summary. Committee version for the second and third reading (PDF)
Reservations, sections and other votes (1)
In order. Votes on reservations and individual sections are shown separately from the vote on the bill as a whole.
- 2 August 2016 · Second reading · קריאה שנייההצעת חוק הנוער (שפיטה, ענישה ודרכי טיפול) (תיקון מס' 22 - הוראת שעה), התשע"ו-2016Bill on Youth (Jurisdiction, Punishment and Treatment Methods) (Amendment No. 22 - temporary provision), 2016auto33 for · 16 againstVote on sections of the bill