The possibility for juveniles in conflict with the law who have been sentenced to alternative educational measures to access an educational-correctional institution represents an essential step in their rehabilitation process.

As part of its monitoring, mentoring and advisory role to the Kosovo Correctional Service, the Correctional Unit of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) has supported the need to establish a juvenile-specific administrative framework for movement of juveniles between the semi-open type and the open type facility.

As first step, on 25 and 26 August, with the goal to facilitate the placement of juveniles to the Lipjan/Lipljan Educational-Correctional centre while maintaining a higher level of safety, security, and supervision, EULEX facilitated a workshop for the Kosovo Correctional Service with the purpose of drafting a guideline for placement of juveniles with educational-correctional measures”.

Guided by the need to guarantee children’s rights in juvenile justice, participants focused on how to address the insufficient capacity of current facility, explored the possibility of separating the semi-open type facility from the open-type facility, and discussed greater flexibility in movement for juveniles as well as a juvenile-specific assessment and placement system.

In the following months, the Mission will continue to monitor the finalisation, adoption and implementation of the guidelines.