Integration of children in conflict with the law through restorative justice

November 2015 - July 2016

Funded by UNICEF

The main goal of the project was promoting and implementing restorative justice for Children and juveniles between 14-21 yrs, involved in penal matters.

The project was implemented in cooperation with the General Directorate of State Police, General Directorate of Prisons and General Directorate of Probation Service.

Informative and training activities were organized within the framework of the project, attended by police officers, probation officers, and staff of the penitentiary system for minors and juveniles in conflict with the law and their parents, in order to increase their understanding the alternative forms of dispute resolution for juvenile offenders.

Another component of the project was providing victim-offender mediation services to resolve disputes between parties which have risen as consequence of the criminal offence, therefore preventing the escalation of the dispute into more serious one, reparation for the damage, be it moral or material, and normalization of the relations between the parties.
During November 2015 - July 2016, 131 cases were referred by the above-mentioned institutions, and in 92% of cases, the parties reached settlement agreements for their disputes.