On February 1st, 2016 a new form of non-custodial penalty – house arrest came into force. House arrest is sentenced to a juvenile offender of a less serious crime with the terms from 6 months to 1 year. House arrest is executed through electronic supervision or by unexpected visits of a person in charge; The electronic monitoring centre is locates in office of The National Probation Agency.



Electronic Monitoring Centre

House arrest enactment will significantly reduce the number of juveniles getting in correctional facilities. In case of house arrest, a juvenile spends the whole term of sentence in the family, which contributes to their rehabilitation/re-socialization a lot.

Rehabilitation Programs for Juvenile Probationers
The National Probation Agency is oriented to re-socialization of juvenile probationers, which contributes to new crime prevention. As a result of establishing European standards, working with juvenile conditional convicts is conducted in accordance with assessment of risks and needs and individual planning methodology of sentence execution in the system of probation.
Institute of a social worker and a psychologist have been established in the agency, aiming to qualified implementation of an individual sentence planning process. All of the officers working with juveniles have taken special retraining courses.
The methodology of individual sentence planning includes identifying the risks and needs of juvenile convicts using special questionnaires, which is the most important information for correct planning and executing process of sentence. Considering the identified needs, a probation officer, a social worker and a psychologist involve juveniles into educational, rehabilitation and didactic programs, make contacts with different services.
Individual approach promotes the rehabilitation of juvenile probationers and is oriented to understanding a crime and changing the attitude by juveniles. This approach has contributed to prevention of re-offend among juvenile convicts.
In frames of liberalization of the legislation diversion and mediation programs have been introduced, that considers diversion of juveniles for first crimes of definite categories. In case of settlement with the victim juvenile offender is bind to cover the damages to the victim within their possibilities and abilities. National Probation Agency participates in the diversion program through specially trained social workers who prepare individual assessment reports of the juveniles, involved in the diversion and mediation programs, define the terms of recommendation and conduct monthly monitoring of diversion contract implementation.
After Juvenile Justice Code enforcement, social workers of the National Probation Agency prepare individual assessment reports for the court on the basis of a judge’s directive, which is to serve the best protection of juvenile interests in the legal process. In addition to this, social workers of the division of rehabilitation programs conduct family and social environment assessment of the juveniles, being in correctional facilities, for the committee of conditional release.



Rehabilitation Program is Conducted by a Trained Specialist

Juvenile involvement into rehabilitation programs is implemented after assessing individual risks and needs, in accordance with damage risk and possibility of re-offend. The rehabilitation programs are divided into 6 directions:
• Psycho-social rehabilitation
• Addiction overcoming
• Pro-social Behavior Formation
• Education
• Employment
• Health, recovery

Each rehabilitation program has an implementing specialist and a target group. A rehabilitation program is conducted by a trained specialist who has knowledge of the material in the form of training module. Session intensity is defined according to individual needs. Participant beneficiaries are provided with general information about a program, as well as explanation of what the aim of their involvement in the program is, in advance.

The following psycho-rehabilitation programs are conducted for juvenile beneficiaries of the National Probation Agency:
• Training for awareness of family violence, characteristics of a victim and a violator, violence identification and referring it to the local legislation.
• Therapeutic work with a violator and a victim
• Human traffic victims support and protection
• Life values
• Crime awareness
• Conflict management – assertive behavior
• Planning the future
• Development of Human rights, tolerance to vulnerable groups

Education/Civil Education
• Individual educational course, peer education
• Training about Human Rights: Adapted version for juveniles – “Compasito”
• Writing projects



At the Cinema

Employment
• Development/professional guidance of essential skills and knowledge for employment
• “Natakhtari Program” – preparation for independent life


Health and recovery
• Program- Healthy lifestyle training (for juveniles and adults)



Juvenile probationers choose healthy lifestyle