GROUNDS AND PROCEDURE FOR APPLYING CRIMINAL PROCEDURAL COERCIVE AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES TO CHILDREN

Abstract

This article examines the legal grounds, procedural framework, and human rights safeguards governing the application of criminal procedural coercive and preventive measures to children in Uzbekistan. It analyzes constitutional guarantees, relevant provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, and the special mechanism of placing a child under supervision as an alternative to detention. Particular attention is devoted to the best interests of the child, proportionality, protection of dignity, and the use of deprivation of liberty only as a measure of last resort. The study also considers international standards established by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Beijing Rules, Tokyo Rules, Havana Rules, and Riyadh Guidelines. Through comparative legal analysis, the article reviews juvenile justice practices in Germany, England and Wales, Scandinavian countries, Japan, and the United States. It concludes that Uzbekistan should further develop childsensitive, rehabilitative, non-custodial, and multidisciplinary approaches consistent with international standards and contemporary juvenile justice principles