The state has been trying for six years to harmonize with the European directive and establish a justice reform for juvenile delinquency but it seems that much has to be still done, philenews reported on Wednesday.
The relevant legislation has been approved by the House of Representatives on 20 April 2021, however, it has never been fully implemented since the relevant services were in no position to fulfil the obligations deriving from the Law.
Consequently, in some cases, temporary arrangements have taken place in order to implement policies addressing juvenile delinquency.
An indication of the efforts that are still taking place is the fact that in the 2023 budget there is provision for an amount exceeding 830,000 euros aiming to fill basic gaps.
Specifically, the budget includes funds for supervisors for juvenile offenders (41,100 euros), for the provision and management of a space where children will be held (785,200 euros), as well as to purchase services to draft regulations pursuant to the Law of 2021 on Children against the Law (9,860 euros).
When implemented, these supervisors will replace police who are currently responsible for monitoring juvenile offenders.
Despite numerous efforts to implement the said legislation fully, several pending issues still exist.