The Minister of Justice Nikolay Naydenov and the Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva begin work on a new law on juvenile justice.
The goal is a comprehensive reform of the Law on Antisocial Behavior of Minors, which should be reviewed through the prism of the new social reality, current expectations and modern standards for the rights of the child, so that the reform can be carried out responsibly and brought to completion.
A joint working group is to be formed with the participation of all competent and interested parties and institutions, in which the issue will be considered in its entirety - from the early identification of children at risk to the appropriate response to children in conflict with the law. The working group will include experts from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, all involved ministries and institutions, as well as the non-governmental sector. The goal is to develop a conceptual framework for the legislation.
A comprehensive approach to juvenile justice is needed – a reform that will cover the development of the child when in contact or conflict with the law: from prevention and early intervention, through the work of the police, investigative bodies and the court, to the implementation of measures and subsequent support for reintegration.
A priority for the ministry will be the question of how to influence the future so that the identified deficits are overcome in depth and the system guarantees an individual assessment of the child's needs and an individual approach to each child through timely psychological and socio-emotional support, a multidisciplinary approach and effective interaction between institutions.
The future regulation should provide a clear and modern regulatory framework that takes into account the different legal status of minors and juveniles and differentiates the need for protection and support of the child from the state's response to a committed illegal act, without creating gaps between the individual systems or interrupting the institutional work on the specific case.
The emphasis will be placed on the early identification of risk factors and timely intervention.
The intensity of each measure taken should take into account the age and level of maturity of the child, the nature and severity of the manifestation, the risk of repeated illegal behavior, the family and social environment and the need for psychological, social, educational or other specialized support.
A real opportunity is sought to overcome the causes of the illegal behavior and for reintegration, as well as guaranteed clear procedural rules and effective judicial control, especially when the measures applied lead to a significant restriction of rights or to the separation of the child from his usual environment.
The reform should ensure real, rather than formal, inter-institutional interaction. A key element of the future model is the specialization and enhancement of the professional capacity of all persons who work with children in conflict with the law - police and investigative authorities, magistrates, lawyers, social workers, psychologists, pedagogical specialists and other professionals.