Summary

The Canton of Zurich is restructuring its system for supervising juvenile offenders. Instead of prison sentences, specialized care centers are to prepare young people for a life without crime. Government Councillor Jacqueline Fehr is focusing on measures rather than stricter laws – an approach that is controversial nationwide.

Persons

Topics

  • Juvenile criminal law
  • Care centers
  • Criminal enforcement
  • Prevention

Clarus Lead

The Canton of Zurich is responding to capacity shortages in juvenile criminal enforcement. Government Councillor Jacqueline Fehr presented a package of measures: new places in the Uetikon care center for so-called time-outs. This means for decision-makers in justice and politics: better chances for resocialization, higher personnel costs, and possibly new institutions in the longer term. Central to Fehr's position: not stricter laws, but tailor-made solutions for different target groups (under 16-year-olds, girls, people with disabilities, underage asylum seekers).

Detailed Summary

The Limmattal prison lacked suitable facilities for short-term stays of juvenile offenders. The Uetikon-Waldeck care center now provides specialized supervision. Such time-outs are necessary when young people from homes or institutions become temporarily unmanageable – previously a structural gap in the system.

Fehr emphasizes: measure-based law enables intensive, closed supervision over several years. Young people are specifically prepared for a life without crime. However, this requires more than legal hardening – it requires cooperation between cantons and homes as well as differentiated offerings for specific target groups.

Chief Youth Prosecutor Roland Zurkirchen sketches a longer-term vision of a new institution that also admits younger juveniles and addresses civil and criminal law issues in parallel. However, the path there is long and politically difficult, especially at the federal level, where demands for stricter laws are increasing.

Legal scholar Sven Zimmerli sees this pressure as understandable: if juveniles become younger and violent crimes more frequent, criminal law must be reviewed. Fehr disagrees – existing measure-based laws are sufficient and already functioning.

Key Statements

  • New Capacity: Uetikon care center replaces prison for time-outs
  • Tailor-made Solutions Instead of Hardening: Differentiated supervision according to age, gender, disability
  • Federal Challenge: Cooperation between cantons and homes is underfunded
  • Political Conflict: Federal level demands stricter laws; Zurich focuses on prevention

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence/Data Quality: What empirical data show that specialized measures work better than punishment? Is Fehr's position based on long-term studies or practical experience?

  2. Conflicts of Interest: Does the company operating the care center benefit from this relocation? Are there conflicts of interest in the selection of Uetikon?

  3. Causality: Does insufficient capacity in the current system lead to worse outcomes, or are there other factors (socialization, poverty, migration)?

  4. Alternatives: Why not invest more intensively in prevention (social work, schools) instead of creating new care places?

  5. Feasibility: How is the planned new institution financed long-term? Who bears the costs between cantons?

  6. Counter-hypotheses: Could stricter legislation (as demanded nationwide) combined with better measures be more effective than supervision alone?

  7. Risks: Is there a danger that care centers become substitute prisons if supervision quality declines?

  8. Side Effects: Do specialized centers segregate juveniles more or do they promote integration?

Source Index

Primary Source: Regionaljournal Zurich-Schaffhausen (SRF) – 05.02.2026 https://download-media.srf.ch/world/audio/Regionaljournal_Zuerich_Schaffhausen_radio/2026/02/Regionaljournal_Zuerich_Schaffhausen_radio_AUDI20260205_NR_0099_7deeecf448c0482599baf086a2e9539a.mp3

Verification Status: ✓ 05.02.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact Check: 05.02.2026