Social assistance to convicted teenagers in the Donetsk region

At a meeting of the supervisory commission under the Donetsk Regional State Administration, the following information was presented regarding socio-pedagogical and preventative work with minors convicted of offences not involving imprisonment.
In the 9 months of 2009, 335 notices regarding minors convicted of offences not involving imprisonment were received by the centres for social services for family, children, and youth of the Donetsk region from the Criminal Executive Inspections. Of these, 330 are receiving services from the social service centres.
An analysis of the offences committed by minors indicates that half of the cases are thefts, of which 25% are motor vehicle theft, as well as theft of mobile phones and scrap metal. Every fifth case is a robbery, and every sixth is hooliganism. 3% of this category of clients were convicted under Article 306—for the illegal manufacture, acquisition, or transport of narcotic drugs without the intent to sell. In the remaining cases: arson, traffic accidents, driving a vehicle while intoxicated, and others.
The analysis of the problems of teenagers that social workers have to work with indicates that in 60 cases, these are conflicts with parents and the immediate environment. In 30 cases, these are health problems, including due to the use of alcohol and narcotic drugs, and in another 30 cases, this is a problem of the teenagers' self-realisation, a lack of sense of purpose in life, and insecurity in themselves and their abilities. In the remaining cases, these are the absence of documents, a low level of material provision and education, as well as employment, vocational guidance, and others.
Specialists from the centres carried out social work in the families of the convicts, both with the teenagers and with their parents. Success in the work is achieved when the teenager desires positive changes in relationships with those around them and when the parents have the desire to truly help their children. Unfortunately, some parents are not interested in the problems of their children and lead an asocial lifestyle.
It should be noted that social workers of the social service centres effectively provide assistance in solving the problems of teenagers, their successful resocialisation, and the prevention of recidivism of offences only through close cooperation with workers of criminal executive inspections and representatives of supervisory commissions.
At the criminal executive inspections of cities and districts, 12 consultation points have already been created.
The result of the conducted socio-pedagogical and preventative work with minors is positive changes in their emotional state, in their views on the future, and in their awareness of the consequences of their behaviour and actions.
Thus: 270 teenagers gained access to better educational opportunities;
social connections were established for 185 teenagers;
26 documents were issued and restored;
6 people were placed into education;
3 received assistance with medical treatment;
2 were temporarily employed.
The social service centres of Donetsk, Horlivka, Mariupol, and Makiivka are working particularly successfully in this direction, as well as the small towns of Shakhtarsk, Torez, Kostiantynivka, Yenakiieve, Druzhkivka, Dzerzhynsk, and Artemivsk.
Unfortunately, in the city of Dokuchaievsk (6 notices) and the Starobesheve district (6 notices), the Supervisory Commission did not consider issues regarding minors convicted of offences with the serving of a sentence without imprisonment.