JUVENILE delinquents should be doing community service instead of serving time in jail, according to a new proposal.
The proposal was discussed by the newly-founded ‘crime council’, which yesterday convened for the first time under Justice Minister Doros Theodorou.
The aim of the council is to plan a comprehensive national strategy for the prevention and tackling of juvenile delinquency and crime in general, based on European and international strategies.
Speaking after the meeting, Theodorou said that before drafting such a strategy, it would be necessary to carry out a scientific study on juvenile delinquency, which was already under way and would be ready in April.
“It is a difficult project; it is up to us if it will succeed or not,” Theodorou said.
He said the council had set up two committees, one dealing with primary and secondary prevention, which dealt with society, schools, families and other relevant factors.
The second committee concerned issues like legislation and the island’s correctional system, the minister said.
Theodorou said that on certain important issues, the government would initiate an open dialogue in order to generate maximum feedback from society and people with specialist knowledge on the issues.
“We have committed ourselves to having the first comprehensive proposals when the first study on juvenile delinquency is completed in April,” Theodorou said.
He added that the council’s duties should be extended to legislative issues concerning the penal code, aiming at addressing weaknesses and points that needed reassessment to be compatible with contemporary views and make the criminal code more humane.
Measures that could bring good results would include the introduction of alternative punishments to jail, like community service, and bringing down the statute of limitations so that juveniles would not be punished disproportionately and pushed towards crime, the minister said.
Another alternative would be to deprive them of their freedom periodically, without any consequences on their education or professional progress.
Theodorou stressed the aim was to keep offenders from returning to prison, or at least to limit the number or repeat offenders.
He said the government had wanted to kick off a community service programme in Limassol, but courts said it had to be implemented in all districts at the same time, otherwise it would be viewed as unequal treatment.
The Labour Ministry is therefore preparing a proposal to hire four more welfare officers with the necessary qualifications to apply the new policy.
“Until then, there is no other procedure, but I want to stress that juvenile delinquents always go to the open prison,” Theodorou added.
He added that the council would make recommendations irrespective of cost, and it would then be up to the Cabinet to decide to which degree the policies would be implemented based on their cost.
“We are not asking the council to assess costs but we are asking them to tell us what in their judgement is necessary and right for our society,” Theodorou said.
