Juvenile Justice Projects

Supporting Minors of Kavaja Institute

Institute for Minors in Kavaja, is established in the outskirts of Kavaja, a small city close to Durres. The institution was officially open for the juveniles as of October 2009. It is a modern-serving institution with a capacity to serve to 40 juveniles in conflict with the law at once; with 70 people staff - around 60% is civil staff. Although this new and modern infrastructure is in place, still it lacks the full capacities to make this a juvenile-friendly institution and make available to the juveniles in conflict with the law the best possible services to ensure their rehabilitation and re-integration. It has several facilities; it hosts two workshops (for wood work and metal work), several modern classrooms, computer room and a library, which are not put in use in their full capacities.

The Institute for minors in Kavaja, is the only detention centre in the country for minors. Currently it is also accommodating juveniles in pre-trial situation - time which can last from 6 to 10 months - serving as a pre-detention center for juveniles coming from the regions of Elbasan, Durres. National wide there are 4 other pre-detention center for minors, in Vlore (south Albania); Korca (south east); Shen Koll - Shkoder (north) and Tirana (capital).

From 2010, Save the Children in Albania and UNICEF have been jointly supported CRCA - Child Rights Center in Albania to implement the project “The Sky is for all” which aimed at assisting the rehabilitation and reintegration of children in conflict with the law.

In the first phase of project implementation 90 juveniles in conflict with the law (both in detention and pre-trial situation), with an average age 16 -17 years old were assisted.  There were 63 children in Kavaja recorded in March 2011, out of which 25 convicted and 38 waiting for their trial. A major concern evidenced by the project is the fact that children who are waiting for their trial serve the time in the institution the same as they were convicted. Most of juveniles result to be in conflict with the law for theft. In most of the cases their family situation is very difficult; there is low economical level, low educational level and sometimes family with one parent. The Ministry of Justice [1], evidence that the number of juveniles in conflict with law is increasing every year and the system is not able to cope with such an increase. During 2009, there were 411 children convicted, out of which 362 committed criminal offenses, while 49 committed contraventions. In 2007 the total number was 211; during 2008 the number was 407 children.

Following the first year of project, it is reported a scarce presence of rehabilitation and reintegration measures for juveniles with the consequence of being attracted in criminal circuits once they leave the institution. Vocational training, occupational therapy, and outreach work with families and community as well as business mobilization are still not sufficiently explored although considered potential elements to pursue psychosocial rehabilitation and effective reintegration of children into society.

The General Directorate of Prisons has expressed its interest in promoting recreational and occupational therapy as a mean to promote psychosocial rehabilitation for children as well as providing concrete opportunities for reintegration after their permanence in the Institutes.
To better respond to these needs, Save the Children has extended its support to juveniles in Kavaja Institute through a second year project (June 2011-May 2012) aiming to strengthen the area of psychosocial rehabilitation and reintegration of minors. This project can serve as a model to be replicated in the other four pre-detention centers in Albania as well.
The project is supported by Save the Children and UNICEF and promoted by General Directorate of Prisons. Implementing partners are: Children’s Human Rights Center of Albania, Meridia-Consortium, and Albanian Foundation for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation of Disputes.
Partner Facilitator: Italian coorperation for Developement
The main objective of the project is to improve detention services for minors in Kavaja prison and providing better life opportunities for their future.
Other project objectives are: Enhancing quality of services provided in Kavaja Institute, facilitating conflict mediation, promoting psychosocial rehabilitation of children and facilitating the reintegration of children into families and society.

Establishing a Referral System for Under 14 in conflict with the Law in Tirana

In Tirana are reported about 50-70 cases of children Under 14 in conflict with the law per year and it is registered the lack of a child friendly environment within the Police Commissariats during the interviews and completion of procedures. Legal and psychological assistance are not immediately provided in the majority of cases and the maximum time the child can remain at the Commissariat is ten hours. In addition, the measures to receive educational training are not enforced given the lack of adequate infrastructure and services for reintegration and the minors result to be recidivist in the majority of cases.

Considering the weak legal framework for Under 14 in conflict with the law as well as the lack of appropriate infrastructure and services for reintegration of minors, the Ministry of Interior/General Directorate of Police and Save the Children recognized the need of collaboration for the implementation of a referral system in Tirana, to be considered as a model for replication in other cities as well as an instrument to provide inputs for the improvement of the existent legal framework.

Children Under 14 in conflict with the law in Tirana will have the chances to get enhanced access to justice and enjoy social and educational services due to the Save the Children new pilot one year project.

The project main goal is to establish a referral system in order to respond to the need of protecting Under 14 children in conflict with the law and combating recidivism. Save the Children new pilot project (1 June 2011-31 May 2012) will be jointly implemented with the six Tirana’s Police Commissariats and three services providers: Municipality/Street Children Center, FBSH and Arsis Center.

Main services to be offered by the three Centers toward each case of Under 14 stopped by the Police in Tirana will be: psycho social assistance in the police stations, psycho social counselling (individual and group) for the child and the parents, risk assessment and social investigation per each case, individual action plan per each child and family (emergency, mid and long term plan); Identification of the services needed and referrals, recreational activities, education, and participation in all the activities of the daily centres, inclusion/ integration in schools and follow up including coordination with the school psychologist and pedagogical staff, administrative support for the child and families (registration in the civil status, labour office, job opportunities, emergency sheltering for specific cases, medical support, vocational training opportunities, cultural mediation in case of Egyptian/Roma families.

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