The minors held at the penitentiary in Goian will benefit from better conditions for receiving professional training owing to the prison’s recently renovated workshops that will be used to train cobblers, cooks, locksmiths, barbers and for other occupational therapy activities, IPN reports, quoting a communique of the UNDP.
“Experience shows that the behavior change programs, which are an important element of the dynamic security conception, generate results with increased impact and contribute to reducing the risk of recidivism. The emphasis on the interaction with minor detainees and ensuring of an appropriate environment for professional training and personal development increases confidence and self-esteem and helps them better prepare for life outside the penitentiary,” said Dafina Gercheva, UNDP Resident Representative in Moldova.
The prison’s employees were trained by Romanian experts to implement and develop behavior change programs, with special emphasis on two methods: management of fury/reduction of violence and motivational interview. This will help the employees to address the problems and needs of the minor detainees in a personalized way and to also prepare them for life after jail.
The Government of Romania offered US$120,000 in assistance within the project. “Starting with today, the minors of the Goian penitentiary will have appropriate places for vocational training and renovated workshops for improving the professional skills and abilities needed in the daily life. These abilities will facilitate their future reintegration into society, especially on the labor market. The Government of Romania is ready to continue to provide support for improving the qualifications of the prison’s personnel and for diversifying the capacities used to develop minors’ professional aptitudes and abilities,” said Romania’s Ambassador to Moldova Marius Lazurca.
As many as 29 minors serve time at the penitentiary in Goian. In 2014, ten minor detainees from this prion received a cobbler’s diploma.
The project is implemented within the UNDP-funded program “Support to Justice Sector Reform in Moldova”.
