Authorities investigating three incidents of runaway juveniles

AMMAN — Social Development Ministry officials on Wednesday said they were still investigating three separate incidents of runaway juveniles from a centre in Ruseifa.

“We have three committees working on the three cases to determine how the juveniles escaped,” Social Development Ministry Spokesperson Fawaz Ratrout told The Jordan Times.

The first case was on May 30 when seven minors, serving time on charges of uprooting trees and robbery, ran away from the Juvenile Education and Rehabilitation Centre (JERC) in Ruseifa, some 12km east of Amman. 

Three returned a week later and four are still missing.

On June 10, a juvenile suspected of murder walked out of JERC. He was found two days later and returned to the centre.

In the third case, a minor serving time on charges of murdering a police officer escaped from the centre on Monday and was arrested by police the following day.

“All the minors who escaped will be sent to court to face new charges and possibly additional punishments,” Ratrout said.

The ministry official stressed that “anyone found responsible at the centre in the three incidents will also face legal prosecution that includes fines or prison terms.”

“Investigations are ongoing to determine how the incidents occurred and those responsible will surely be held accountable.”

The ministry runs several centres in the Kingdom including one in Maan that serves the southern region, according to Ratrout.

In the central region, JERC serves Amman, Zarqa, Ruseifa, Madaba and Salt, while a third centre in Irbid serves the northern governorates of Mafraq, Jerash and Ajloun, Ratrout added.