A program intended for minors under the age of criminal responsibility of 14-18 years, who were spared of punishment and were obliged to take part in an educative probation program, will be piloted in Moldova during the next six months, IPN reports.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the program has two components: moral-civic education of the minors and vocational training. The probation program is an alternative to detention and represents an opportunity for ensuring the reeducation and re-socialization of children who committed less serious violations, their interaction with the criminal justice system being excluded.

The program was created by the National Probation Inspectorate, the Association for Participatory Criminal Justice and the Romanian National Probation Directorate under sector cooperation between the ministries of justice of the two states, with the support of UNICEF.

In Moldova, there are 42 probation offices. In 2017, over 20,000 persons were freed from criminal liability and obligations or restrictions were imposed on them, they were being supervised and assisted. The figure rises each year.