Junaid: a report for the juvenile court

The case (fictional)

Junaid is 17 and has been charged, with two older youths, with stealing mobile phones from a market in Karachi. One of the others is his cousin. He is held in a juvenile observation home. The juvenile court has asked a psychologist for a report on his maturity, his needs and whether he would be suitable for a community-based disposal.

Junaid left school at 13 when his father, a daily-wage labourer, was injured; since then he has worked in a motorcycle repair shop to support his mother and four younger siblings. His mother says he "fell into bad company". He says he only kept watch. Teachers once described him as "slow", but he has never been assessed. He speaks Urdu and some Sindhi. His mother cannot read.

Staff at the observation home say he was in a fight last week; he has bruises on his arm and tells the duty officer he is sleeping badly.

His defence lawyer has told the psychologist he hopes the report will "help the boy". The prosecutor has asked for a copy too. The psychologist was appointed by the court and is about to meet Junaid for the first time.