Kuwait restructures Juvenile Court rules to strengthen judicial efficiency
- Juvenile Court to comprise three Court of First Instance judges without restrictions on judicial rank.
- Two social work experts, including at least one woman, must attend hearings and submit a social assessment before judgment.
- Appeal panels will be chaired by a judge of at least court agent rank, with two judges as members.
- The amendments aim to speed up case handling and support the Kuwaitisation of the judiciary by easing judicial appointment requirements.
Kuwait has issued Decree-Law No. 70 of 2026, introducing amendments to the Juvenile Law of 2015 to reorganise the structure of juvenile courts and streamline judicial procedures.
Published in the Official Gazette Kuwait Alyawm, the amendments revise Articles 33 and 49 of Law No. 111 of 2015, changing the composition of both the Juvenile Court and the appellate circuit that hears appeals in juvenile cases.
Under the new provisions, the Juvenile Court will consist of three judges from the Court of First Instance, assisted by two social work experts, with at least one required to be a woman.
The participation of both experts during court proceedings is mandatory, and they must submit a comprehensive report on the juvenile’s social and personal circumstances before a judgment is issued.
The amendments also reorganise the appellate circuit, which will now be chaired by a judge holding a rank no lower than court agent, with two additional judges serving as members.
According to the explanatory memorandum, the changes are intended to address practical challenges in appointing judges under the previous system, which required judges of specific senior ranks. The shortage of judges holding those positions had made it difficult to form court panels, contributing to delays in hearing cases.
The government said the reforms will improve the efficiency of the judicial system while supporting Kuwait’s ongoing efforts to increase the number of qualified Kuwaiti judges within the judiciary.
