Launched by the Italian Ministry of Justice, specifically by the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Network project is financially supported by the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals 2007-2013 and aims to reinforce the exchange of best practices of juvenile justice between European national administrations.
Through the organisation of exchange visits, the project’s participants have the opportunity to analyse their counterparts’ approach to the most pressing contemporary challenges. In particular, the national delegations focused on the implementation of alternatives to measures of deprivation of liberty, mediation and restorative justice practices.
Overall Objectives: Enhance contacts and collaboration between the Italian Juvenile Justice Department and its European counterparts; foster knowledge-sharing.
Specific Objectives: Organise exchange visits between national departments in charge of juvenile justice police, identify and exchange best practices, build a transnational network to coordinate key political issues to advocate at European level and strengthen contact with European Institutions, build a platform for increased transnational communication.
As of today, 14 study visits have been carried out between the Italian delegation and those of Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Great Britain in the framework of the Network project.
On the 24th and 25th of June 2014, the IJJO contributed to the European advocacy phase by organising a two-day transnational seminar, held in Brussels, which involved the participation of the national delegations taking part in the project as well as the representatives of the European Commission in charge of policies concerning children’s rights. The seminar provided an important opportunity for advocacy coordination and direct exchange between the national and supranational levels of policy-making.
Istituto don Calabria (Italy); Associazione EURO – Centro di Ricerca promozione ed Iniziativa Comunitaria (Italy); Italian Ministry of Justice, Department of Juvenile Justice, Directorate General for the enforcement of court order.