Background document

Youth at Risk Backgrounder: March 3, 2008

Canadian Model for Juvenile Justice supports Russian Democracy

Canadian experts are helping Russian authorities and social service workers to revamp youth justice in the country in a four year project to support democracy and good governance in the Russian Federation.

The Canadian-Russian Youth at Risk project employs the skills of a diverse group of Canadian juvenile justice experts -- including a former Nova Scotia Crown Prosecutor, an Ontario probation expert, a Northern Ontario wilderness program for young offenders (DARE), an Ottawa Youth Courts Judge and the director of one of Ottawa’s secure custody centres for youth.

The initiative involves pilot projects in six regions of Russia each working on improvements to different aspects of juvenile justice and laying the groundwork for a coherent and integrated system of services for youth at risk in Russia.

Canadian experts are sharing their experience with the Canadian Youth Criminal Justice Act of 2003 and Ontario’s successful methods of dealing with youth at risk before and after they have come in conflict with the law. Russian legislative representatives, judges, and social workers have been involved in training sessions in Russia and study tours to Canada looking at prevention, probation, courts, correctional services and post-custody services.

Through this Youth at Risk project juvenile justice issues have been addressed for the first time at the highest government level in Russia by the Minister of Interior and the Governor of Rostov Oblast at a State Council Meeting headed by President Vladimir Putin. The State Council is an important entity in the Russian political system intended to set priorities for the government agenda.

The Youth at Risk (YAR) project led by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and financed by CIDA has also coined a new Russian word – ‘probacia’ - for the novel concept of probation in a country where penal colonies are often the only form of corrections and punishment for young offenders.

The word ‘probacia’ was first used in a similar AUCC project in Latvia (1998-2003). The Latvian project’s successful work in prevention, probation and alternatives to traditional custody led to development of new probation legislation and establishment of a national probation system.

Canadian probation experts introduced Ontario’s risk and needs assessment methodology (such as interviews to determine if there are factors that might lead to a youth re-offending) to Russian justice workers in training workshops in Moscow, Rostov and Cheboksary in 2007. A pilot in the South West District of Moscow is using the principle of the risk assessment methodology to follow a group of 127 youth in custody and youth at risk in their region in order to develop an assessment methodology to fit the Russian context.

Ontario probation expert Gail Steeds led a number of training sessions on juvenile justice in Chuvashia (central Russia) and Moscow, Russia in 2007. Steeds presented the principles of the Ontario risk needs assessment and probation methodology to academics and government ministers. She also trained Russian justice workers in the practice of managing young offender cases and assessing the risk of young offenders re-offending. Steeds was a pioneer of probation in Latvia where her work in sharing the methods of Ontario’s probation system led to the establishment of a national probation service in the country – for both youth and adults.

Former Nova Scotia Senior Crown Attorney, Robert Lutes, is a key advisor for the project. He led training sessions on Community Justice Consultation methodology in Moscow, Rostov and Stavropol in 2007 using training methods developed by the RCMP and used in Canada in preparation for implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act here in 2003. Lutes worked with the Canadian Department of Justice to develop Canada’s legislation and was involved in the RCMP training in Canada. The community consultations in Canada and Russia bring together all the agencies dealing with young offenders to develop collaborative action plans for juvenile justice.

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AUCC is the voice of Canada's universities. It represents 92 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities and university-degree level colleges.

For additional information, please contact:

Evgeni Shevchenko, Project officer
Improving Services for Youth at Risk in Russia
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Tel: (613) 563-3961, ext. 293
E-mail: yshevchenko@aucc.ca

Maryana Nikoula, Project Manager
Improving Services for Youth at Risk in Russia
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Tel: (613) 563-3961, ext. 271
E-mail: mnikoula@aucc.ca

Or

Lyse Huot
Publications and Communications Director
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Tel.: (613) 563-3961, ext. 229
E-mail: lhuot@aucc.ca