New project designed to continue juvenile justice system reform

The Reform of the Juvenile Justice System in Moldova Project launched on March 5 by the Embassy of Sweden in Romania, the SIDA Office in Moldova and the UNICEF Representative Office in Moldova aims to continue the reforms implemented in the juvenile justice system, Info-Prim Neo reports. The project will be implemented during four years (2008-2011) by the Ministry of Justice in concert with UNICEF, with resources from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). The new project is designed to ensure the observance of the rights of the children that come into contact with the legal system – the right to decent living conditions, education, legal advice etc. The main objectives of the project are to adjust the legislation regarding alternatives to detention, to develop the probation service within the Ministry of Justice, to improve the detention conditions for minors and the legal assistance provided to minor delinquents. For the purpose, the personnel supervising the alternative detention measures imposed on children will be instructed and outfitted with equipment. The instruction of the professionals from the legal system (prosecutors, judges) will continue. A team of lawyers will be set up to provide legal advice and act promptly in the cases of the children in conflict with the law. Specialized training programs for children under detention will be worked out. Similar activities will be also carried out in the Transnistrian region. During the launch ceremony, Deputy Minister of Justice Nicolae Esanu said that the project was a logical continuation of the reform initiated by the Government six years ago. Meanwhile, the legal framework has been developed and the professionals’ abilities improved. The detention conditions in the penitentiary no.2 in Lipcani, where all the minor convicts are held, have been also improved. However, more effort is needed to reeducate these children and reduce the recidivism to a minimum, the deputy minister said. The UNICEF Representative in Moldova Ray Virgilio Torres stressed that owing to the concerted efforts made in 2007, the number of minor convicts dropped by 50%, while the number of cases involving minors that were closed increased fivefold. Alternatives to detention such as community service and suspended sentence began to be implemented. The implementation of the juvenile justice system reform is a clear signal that Moldova wants to become part of the European family, the representative of the Swedish Foreign Ministry Joakim Stymne said. The offences committed by minors make up about 10% of the total number of crimes in Moldova. According to the Ministry of Interior and to the Prosecutor General’s Office, about 1,300 offences committed by or with minors were reported in 2007. The thefts make up approximately 75% of the offences.