Total budget: MKD 1.799.600

Timeframe: 01.06.2019 – 31.10.2020

Partner

Organization of Women of the Municipality of Strumica

Constituents

Citizens at the territory of the municipality of Strumica, more than 120 convicted persons under the age of 29 from various ethnic and religious affiliation serving prison sentences in the prison of Strumica, representatives of public institutions related to probation process: Strumica Prison, AVRM Strumica, Probation Service Strumica, Basic Court Strumica, Public Prosecution Strumica, Public Communal Enterprise Strumica, Municipality of Strumica, public and private enterprises.

On the Project Supported by Civica Mobilitas

Implementation of the Probation Law at Local Level via Effective Partnerships in the Municipality of Strumica

Background for the Action

The alternative sanctions and measures, although set in the 2004 Penal Code have never come to life. Therefore, a special Probation Law was adopted in 2016. In 2017-2018, the Office for Execution of Sanctions (OES) opened probation offices at the areas of basic courts in Skopje, Veles, Strumica, Shtip, Tetovo, Bitola, Prilep, Kumanovo and Ohrid. OES has continuously implemented probation activities and measures, but the implementation of the law, in reality, is still hard.

GOALS AND RESULTS

Goal: Successful re-socialization and social adaptation of the convicted persons in the community via a practical implementation of the alternative sanctions and measures, as well as an approximation of the Republic of North Macedonia to the penological standards of the European Union.

Objective: Help in the successful implementation of the Law on Probation by civic activism at the local level by establishing cooperation and confidence-building of all institutions and stakeholders to efficiently use the alternative sanctions and measures, as well as the conditional parole.

Results

  • Developed network of associates and partnerships of relevant institutions and organizations at the local level, by establishing a local coordination body;
  • Informed and motivated convicted persons serving their prison sentence about their rights and possibilities;
  • Re-qualified, trained and prepared convicted persons with professions for jobs according to the labour market;
  • Assistance in the implementation of law in the part for issuing probation measure of conditional parole to convicted persons who have served their prison sentence;
  • Contribution to the strengthening of the educational system on probation;
  • “Probation Coalition” established to be active at the whole territory at the national level in the future.

Activities

  1. Establishing a local coordinative body with representatives of the institutions in charge, the business community and civil sector – developing a network of associates and partnerships;
  2. Conducting informative workshops at the Strumica prison by the sector for re-socialization of the prison and AVRM. Surveying, measuring the interest for learning trades and motivation of the convicted persons to use their rights and possibilities for re-socialization and integration in the society;
  3. Conducting practical training in the prison to learn a trade to prepare concrete elements. Preparation for the labour market of 30 convicted persons as a contribution to fulfilling the criteria for the alternative measure conditional parole;
  4. Informing the Chamber of Craftsmen and the business sector in Strumica on the possibilities for the persons who have served a prison sentence. Organizing meetings between companies and convicted persons at the prison, conducting work interviews, selecting the persons that the companies are interested in hiring. Preparations and submitting proposals for conditional parole for the convicts to the court that has made the first-degree decision on the persons that have been recruited by the companies;
  5. Holding a lecture and presentations on probation at FON University in the municipality of Strumica;
  6. Establishing a “Probation Coalition” of at least nine CSOs that will be active at the national level in the future.