NGO urges engaging psychologist and social worker in trials involving delinquent children

The Institute for Penal Reform launched the Promotion of New Elements of Justice for Juvenile Delinquents in Moldova Project that is aimed at improving the system of legal methods used in dealing with children who commit offenses. “We consider the cases involving juvenile delinquents should be tried by specialized judges. The cases of these children are not monitored by specialized judges. The child-friendly court procedures that meet the standards of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are not always implemented successfully. The Soviet methods continue to be used. The actions of the inspectors working with the minors are not always efficient or in accordance with the international practices. These elements will be introduced through the new project,” Ion Bulicanu, spokesman for the Institute for Penal Reform, told Info-Prim Neo. The project also aims to engage the psychologist and social worker in trials involving delinquent children. “The trial is a complex process that has a negative influence on the child. Therefore, the psychologist and social worker must help the children overcome this period. The parents should also be present in some cases,” Ion Bulicanu said. There will be compiled a guidebook for prosecution officers, prosecutors and judges who try cases involving children. Another objective of the project is to promote community involvement as extra-court legal means in these trials. The mediators will mediate an agreement between a delinquent minor and the victim so as to rectify the behavior of the child in the community. The Promotion of New Elements of Justice for Juvenile Delinquents in Moldova Project is implemented with the financial support of UNICEF Moldova, in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Council of Magistrates, the Supreme Court of Justice, the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Ministry of the Interior. It will last for 15 months, by September 2012. The Institute for Penal Reform is a nongovernmental organization founded on March 31, 2001 to contribute to the observance of human rights by reforming the criminal justice system and supporting community initiatives.