Study Visit in Estonia
The National Network of community Services for Alternative sentences in Albania organized a study visit in Estonia,, with focus Probation Service of Estonia and the implementation of the alternative sentences in the framework of the project "Network of Community Services for Alternative Sentence "supported from European Union form 11 to 15 February 2012. Participant of this visit were :
Arben Sefgjini - General Director of Probation Service
Abdyl Spahiu - Director of Tirana (capital city) Regional office
Spartak Mitrushi - Director of Fier (one of the biggest cities in Albania) Regional office
Florian Arapi - Director of Elbasan (one of the biggest cities in Albania) Regional office
Marinela Sota - Refraction Association Director, Lector of Social Work in Justice System / Tirana University
Enkelejda Ngjelina - Aksion Plus Association, Assistant manager
The visit started the first day 13 February with the meeting in Ministry of Justice with different adviser who coordinate the probation services and the prison social work. The first contact was Mrs. Anne Kruusement ,Advisor of Social Rehabilitation Division Prison Department, Ministry of Justice, who made a presentation on history of probation services in Estonia. Estonia is a small country with 1.4 million resident and in 1991started the penal reform and in 1993 the first vision about probation services and in 1998 started the work of probation services firstly with 110 officer and 2000 offenders. During the year the number of offenders stared to grow up to 8000 offenders in 2009.Also she informed us about the electronic monitoring in Estonia.
After her presentation we informed more about the social program as one of the activities of the sentence time by Mrs.Marin Kulper. For reducing crimonogenic they used different social program such as, anger management, social skills training, sex-offenders program, rehabilitation program for addicted persons, rehabilitation program one to one, etc. We had a presentation for each program from different advisor .
The visit continued with the meeting in the two different places in Convictus Estonia, who is a non-governmental organization. Convictus Estonia offers psychosocial help and consultations for HIV-positive and/or drug addicts. Convictus have a good cooperation partner for probation and prison. We visit their site work where they distributed needle and syringe. The day finished with the visit in Kristiine Social Center- governmental organization that is the cooperation partner for probation. Kristiine Social Center function as a day center and they offered variety of social and health promotion and culture events and activities. From 2003 to 2005 Kristiine Social Center developed and initiated a program in which the elderly and people with subsistence difficulties were offered welfare services (laundry, shower, food and other supporting services) based on a set price list. They also offered different uplifting and involving activities and services for people of all ages.
The work done in Kristiine Social Center is figuratively separated into six units: Children's Day Center service, Health Promotional Activities and Events for The Elderly, Rehabilitation Service for Juvenile Delinquents, Program-Based Counseling for Labor Market Risk Groups, Laundry and Shower Services, Warm Lunch Service and Other Additionally Supportive Services
Second day of our visit started with the meeting of Mrs. Katriin Savitš, senior Probation Officer in Probation building in Tartu. She informed us about the probation work and community work. She presented the methods of probation supervisor as well as the period of probation. During this meeting we had lot of questions and we compared and share our experience of probation services work in Albania.
After , we went to second probation building where we get informed about Electronic Monitoring and Early-Releasing and the ways of proceeding.
After the presentation of the probation services work according to agenda we had the last visit in Tallinn prison. We met Mr. Rait Kuuse, director of Tallinn prison and Erik Rüütel , manager of Social work and Probation and Asta Vaks (Leader of Social work Division). The main topic of this meeting was the Tallinn Prison overview, social work overview and social programs in probation and prison. We learn and discuss about social programs in prison . The visit finished with a tour in the prison school and some other areas of work prison where the prisoners learned and work.