The disbanded social correctional institution "Naukšēni" is being replaced by a modern service for juveniles who have committed serious crimes and may be a danger to themselves and society. While the institution is still under construction, the State Probation Service sees around 4,000 children and young people who have committed offenses every year.
The Service hopes to develop probation supervision more as a form of punishment, making it an end in itself not to punish but to integrate these people into society as they grow up.
The institution will not be in place quickly, it will take several more years, but it will be aimed at getting teenagers off the criminal trail.
"We are currently working on finding premises. We have basically already identified a possible space. This will be the hardest work with those young people who are already endangering the health and lives of others," said Minister of Justice Inese Lībiņa-Egnere (New Unity).
Before the new institution, called "Safe House", was decided on, research was carried out abroad, taking into account their experience.
Since last year, a new form of punishment - probation supervision - has been in place, aimed at helping the child and his or her family to prevent the child from re-offending.
However, this type of sentence is still relatively rarely imposed by the courts.
Krista Skara, Head of the Probation Programmes Unit at the National Probation Service, explained that criminal sanctions are not the most appropriate for children, so probation as punishment would yield better results:
"These children will grow up. We really want them to be great adults who fit into society. If we want to do that, we need to understand that all these children, including those with behavioral problems, come from society. Where we spoil them, we can help them to grow and develop in the best way. Criminal punishment is only one of the means that we are most familiar with. But that doesn't mean he is the most effective for children."
Probation supervision would help juveniles integrate back into society more easily, according to experts.
