Achieving criminal justice in the context of juvenile offenders requires the establishment of specialized structures and the involvement of competent actors throughout the judicial process. This comparative- descriptive study examines the role of three key actors- judge, counsellor and social worker- in the legal systems of Iran and Afghanistan. The findings reveal that in Afghanistan the judge makes decisions within a participatory framework with the support of legal assistants, experts and a judicial panel. In contrast, although the presence of a counsellor is mandatory in Iran juvenile courts, their role remains advisory, without any legal authority in decision- making. In both systems, the role of the social worker is primarily limited to the execution stage of the verdict , whereas their active participation throughout the judicial process could significantly contribute to the rehabilitation and reformation of juvenile offenders. This study emphasizes the need to strengthen the role of counsellors in Irans juvenile justice process, expand the scope of social workers involvement in both systems, and lay the legal foundation for participatory justice in Iran and Afghanistan.
Keywords: Juveniles, Criminal procedure, legal actors, counsellor, social worker, Iran, Afghanistan.