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A senior official from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) said on Wednesday that they would propose a new bill that will simplify the current laws on enforcement of prison sentences and make it “more fair and realistic.”
Abdullah Güler, the party’s parliamentary group chair, told Anadolu Agency (AA) ahead of the end of Parliament’s summer recess that the bill would be separate from the 11th Judiciary Package they proposed. The package also contains judicial reforms as the AK Party looks to dispel concerns regarding perceived impunity in sentences for certain crimes.
Güler said the Justice Ministry and Parliament’s justice committee would work on the judiciary package in the new legislative term. “We would like to enable several legal regulations, especially for children driven to crime, and our package will likely be presented to Parliament either this week or next week.”
“When we look at the limits of our existing laws, we see that the penalties are quite severe. Perhaps it is necessary to also consider public expectations. However, there is a particular focus on increasing deterrence and raising penalties for organized crime members who exploit these provisions,” Güler said.
The recent fatal shooting of two police officers in the western city of Izmir by a 16-year-old assailant has reignited Türkiye’s national debate over juvenile crime and pushed the government toward drafting tougher penalties for child offenders. The attack, following other violent crimes committed by minors in Istanbul and Ankara, has prompted officials to accelerate new legislation.
Under the existing statute, children under 12 cannot be held criminally responsible. Those between 15 and 18 who commit crimes that normally carry aggravated life sentences instead face terms ranging from 18 to 24 years in prison, with reductions applied to other offenses as well.
Güler says that their goal is not just to increase punishment but also to address the environments that lead children into crime by monitoring such conditions and implementing appropriate measures.
He noted serious efforts by the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the Ministry of National Education, and the Ministry of Interior to that extent. “Our goal is to bring these agencies together to develop effective and deterrent measures to solve this problem at the highest level. While we do not propose stricter penalties for every offense, we are discussing whether more severe sentences could be applied to crimes such as murder. These issues are currently on our agenda,” he said. Güler said legal experts, ministry specialists, and lawmakers are collaborating on the matter and pledged, “If a need arises, we will implement necessary changes.”
