Description
The young offenders represent a category of inmates who require specific educative and psycho-social measures, adapted to their characteristics and needs, this being also noted on the occasion of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) visits in Romania which highlighted the need to give special attention to vulnerable groups in prison. The project aims at strengthening the capacity of Bacau Prison, in particular, and of the penitentiary system, in general, to efficiently assist the educational and psycho-social recovery of the young inmates through improving the educational, social and physical infrastructure within the Bacau prison, developing a special assistance programme and an integrated tool for the evaluation of their relapse risk and by improving the professional competence and knowledge of the prison staff working with them, as to ultimately facilitate a better social reintegration. Furthermore, interventions are foreseen for the renovation of the Re-education Center Tirgu Onca, as well as the Tichilesti and Craiova Detention Centers, where juveniles are detained. The target group of the project is represented by minors and youngsters deprived of liberty, including Roma, and prison staff working with them. The role of Bjørgvin Prison and KRUS, as Donor Project Partners, is to provide expertise and best practices in the area of working with young offenders.
Summary of project results
Considering the deficiencies identified at the level of Romanian penitentiaries by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, in terms of inadequate conditions, overcrowding of detention spaces, insufficient attention paid to vulnerable groups such as minors/youngsters deprived of liberty, insufficient number of spaces for educational, therapeutic, psychological and social assistance activities, the National Administration of Penitentiaries promoted this project as a means of addressing these shortcomings. The objective of the project was fully achieved, consisting in strengthening the capacity of the Bacau Prison for minors and youngsters, in particular, and of the penitentiary system, in general, to efficiently assist the educational and psycho-social recovery of minors and youngsters deprived of liberty, by improving the educational, social and physical infrastructure within the detention area for minors and youngsters belonging to Bacau Prison, through the development of an integrated tool for the evaluation of the relapse risk of minors and youngsters deprived of liberty and of a special assistance programme for supporting their educational and psycho-social recovery, as well as by improving the professional competence and knowledge of the prison staff working with this vulnerable group of prisoners. The following outputs were delivered: - 200 detention places (1.217 sqm built area), that observe the minimum CPT standard of 4 sqm per detainee, were renovated and endowed at Bacau Prison; - self-care centres for minors and youngsters were set up through renovations and endowments at Craiova and Tichilesti Detention Centres, observing the minimum CPT standard of 4 sqm per detainee and amounting to a total capacity of 19 detention places (348,37 sqm built area): 9 detention places (172,79 sqm built area) at Craiova Detention Centre and 10 detention places (175,58 sqm built area) at Tichilesti Detention Centre; - 265 minors and youngsters (90 Roma) were subjected to the integrated tool for the evaluation of the relapse risk and 172 minors and youngsters (23 Roma) participated in the modular type special assistance programme, both developed in the project; - 90 prison staff working with minors and youngsters were trained on the application of the integrated tool for the evaluation of the relapse risk and of the modular type special programme for the assistance of minors and youngsters deprived of liberty, as well as on other relevant topics.
Summary of bilateral results
The project contributed to strengthening the bilateral relations and mutual understanding between Norway and Romania by offering the ideal framework for benefiting from the Norwegian expertise, know-how and best practice in what concerns working with young offenders. The experts appointed by Bjørgvin Prison participated in the exchange of best practices and knowledge with their Romanian counterparts, contributing significantly to the development of the integrated tool for the evaluation of the relapse risk of minors and youngsters deprived of liberty, as well as of the modular type special programme for the their assistance, in line with the best practices and experience gained in this area. Also, the experts appointed by the Correctional Service of Norway Staff Academy actively participated in the exchange of best practices and knowledge with the Romanian penitentiary specialists, thus contributing to the development of the training curriculum for the prison staff working with minors and youngsters deprived of liberty, as well as delivering training sessions and organising study visits in Norway for the Romanian prison staff working with this vulnerable group. Thus, the project partnership contributed to achieving one of the major overall objectives of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009-2014, namely strengthening the bilateral relations in the correctional area between Norway as donor state and Romania as beneficiary country.