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Justice Minister Counselor Nasser Al-Sumait said juvenile crimes registered with the Juvenile Prosecution declined 48 percent in the first half of 2026, falling from 1,523 cases in the first half of 2025 to 795 cases. Al-Sumait, who issued the statement to KUNA on Saturday, noted that the reduction marks the second consecutive year of decreases in such offenses. The minister linked the trend to a series of legislative reforms that have strengthened deterrence and focused on behaviors most harmful to individuals and society.
The ministry’s data show the downward movement has accelerated, with the first-half 2026 total representing a 52 percent decline from the 1,665 cases recorded in the first half of 2024. Al-Sumait said the consistent improvement reflects ongoing government efforts to refine the penal system and enhance preventive measures across multiple crime categories. Public Prosecution figures for the full year of 2025 had already indicated a 9.5 percent drop in juvenile cases to 3,486, suggesting the recent half-year results continue a broader trajectory.
Traffic-related offenses accounted for much of the improvement, plunging 63 percent from 1,048 cases in the first half of 2025 to 383 cases in the same period this year, according to the minister’s briefing. Assault cases fell 32 percent over the same comparison, the ministry data indicated. These shifts align with earlier warnings from the Juvenile Prosecution about the volume of traffic violations by minors, which had totaled 19,815 cases between 2014 and 2024.
Al-Sumait attributed the gains to a package of new laws and amendments that raised penalties for the most serious violations. The reforms encompass the updated Traffic Law with stricter sanctions for major infractions, along with tougher penalties for manslaughter and accidental injury. A fresh statute on narcotics and psychotropic substances, combined with provisions that criminalize carrying bladed weapons in public without justification and increase punishments for their use in assaults, formed additional pillars of the legislative push.
The Public Prosecution’s annual report for 2025 had already documented reductions in several serious crime areas, including a 16.4 percent decline in domestic violence cases, providing further context for the latest juvenile figures. Al-Sumait said authorities continue to monitor crime indicators and tie them directly to legislative reviews aimed at bolstering protections for society, individuals and property. Such data-driven adjustments have become a standard feature of Kuwait’s approach to criminal justice modernization in recent years.
Earlier prosecution statistics had flagged rising school-related violence, with assault-by-beating cases in the Juvenile Prosecution climbing from 226 in 2021 to 391 in 2024, underscoring the value of the recent interventions. The minister’s latest statement reinforces that the combination of enforcement, awareness campaigns and updated statutes is producing measurable results in the juvenile sphere. Officials have indicated that similar monitoring will guide future policy refinements across the justice system.
