Filenews 19 May 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
The Parliament blocked the funds and at the same time the procedures for finding a place of detention for children who are in conflict with the law, the well-known juvenile prisons, resulting in the cessation of all actions for the announcement of tenders.
The justice ministry was disappointed to see that the fund recently approved by the Cabinet to locate a suitable place for minors over the age of 14 could be sent there instead of to prisons was not approved. Reports indicate that members of the Finance Committee did not consent to the approval of the fund that exceeded €800,000 in order to proceed with the procedures for finding a place of detention for minors, on the grounds that they do not accept the regulation, that such a centre be managed by private individuals.
Following this development, tendering procedures were frozen and Justice Minister Stefi Drakou will rush to Parliament at the end of the month in an effort to persuade the Commission to withdraw its objections. According to state plans, the centre will be managed by a private individual, but the responsibility for its operation will lie with the Ministry of Justice.
Children between the ages of 14 and the age of 21 who are sentenced by the juvenile courts to prison will be held in the prison, or are ordered to be detained. Today, children mainly 17 years of age and older are detained for lack of spaces within the Central Prisons.
The Council of Ministers, in a recent meeting, after receiving extensive information from the Minister of Justice, Stefi Drakou, lit the green light for the creation of juvenile prisons, while authorising the Minister of Finance to allocate the required funds. In fact, the terms of the tenders were ready, but now it should be expected that the House will change its decision in order to make the announcement.
Initially the space could accommodate 10 beds, with the prospect of gradually increasing to 25 beds. The cost of the juvenile detention facility was estimated at €800,000 for the first year of operation. The Ministry of Justice initially recommended the detention of juvenile offenders within the premises of the therapeutic centre for minors of Agia Skepi in Latsia. However, the proposed solution was not accepted by the Addiction Treatment Authority of Cyprus, which funds the said treatment centre, putting forward the following reasons:
The creation of detention facilities for juvenile offenders outside the Central Prisons is provided for in the legislation voted by the Plenum of the Parliament on 9/4/2021 and is entitled as "the Establishment of a Child-Friendly Criminal Justice System". The law provides that for one year from the date it enters into force, i.e. until 9/4/2022, convicted minors may be held in prisons. However, the new structure is not ready and no one knows when it will be.
The basic philosophy of the new regulations is that the prosecution and detention of minors up to the age of 21 will be the last resort, which will only be imposed if other measures have been tried and fail. Children under the age of 14 will not be held criminally liable for their actions.
