One third of population has never heard about probation service, report

Probation is a not well-known service in Moldova. One third of the population has never heard about it, shows a monitoring report by the Institute for Penal Reform, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. The report says the probation service is known abstractly and the people have a preconceived attitude towards the convicts and marginalize them in most of the cases. A former detainee is accepted by society with difficulty. In a news conference on July 1, Vladimir Popa, a representative of the Department of Penitentiary Institutions’ Central Probation Office, said the probation system monitors how a convicted person that is exempt from imprisonment integrates into society. “When a person is put on probation, they should have a decent behavior so as not to be imprisoned. The probation officer supervises the person and works out a program to improve their behavior so that they commit no more crimes,” said Vladimir Popa. Victor Zaharia, director of the Institute for Penal Reform, said the monitoring process allows making the system of alternative punishments more efficient. The Institute’s report reveals the weak points of the probation service. It suggests improving cooperation at local level by involving communities in offense prevention mechanisms. The report also contains recommendations intended for decision makers that formulate the penal policy in Moldova, so that they make sure that the probation activities are carried out appropriately. The monitoring was performed during a year and included 879 questionnaires, 42 focus-groups and 160 interviews that involved judges, prosecutors and representatives of the Institute for Penal Reform.