A total of 42 municipalities have signed today the collaboration agreement signed by the Regional Ministry of Social Policy, Families and Equality and the Federation of Municipalities of the Region, so that minors with judicial measures can carry out services for the benefit of the community in their localities of reference. The objective is to restore the damage they have caused and facilitate their inclusion within their closest environment.
These types of measures ordered by the Juvenile Court will currently benefit around fifty adolescent and young offenders for vandalism, aged between 14 and 18 years old, and mostly men. 42 percent less than the figure recorded last year.
The president of the Federation of Municipalities of the Region, Víctor Manuel López, and the Minister of Social Policy, Conchita Ruiz, presided over the signing of this agreement, highlighting “the high effectiveness” of these measures “since 95 percent of minors do not reoffend and can lead a completely normal life.” An event that was also attended by the president of the High Court of Justice of the Region of Murcia, Miguel Pasqual del Riquelme, as well as the magistrate of the Juvenile Court number 1 of Murcia, Rafael Romero.
“The idea is to make the minors aware of the harm they have caused in the municipality and to their own neighbours so that they learn from their mistakes and can repair the damage caused,” stressed Ruiz. To do this, they have the support of an educator, who will ensure that the measure has an impact on their reintegration and that it is equitable to the offence committed and to the needs and social interest of the town. The professional will also work directly with the minor's family so that the integration is as effective as possible.
The activities imposed by the court are unpaid, as alternative measures to confinement, and have an average duration in the Region of Murcia of between 20 and 100 hours. The assigned work may be, for example, collaboration with entities for the accompaniment of the elderly or people with special needs, also participation in cultural and social activities, as well as maintenance or cleaning tasks, among others.
“These actions create a reconciliation between both parties, since on the one hand, society allows the recovery of the minor and, on the other, the offender has the opportunity to make amends for what happened. All of this, without any kind of stigmatization and in a completely normalized environment,” explained the head of Social Policy.
Inclusive municipalities
The signing of the collaboration agreement for the provision of services for the benefit of the community was attended by mayors and representatives of the various participating municipalities. These included:
The councillor explained that “the three remaining municipalities will officially join in the coming weeks, which shows that the Region of Murcia is a supportive and inclusive community.”
The professionals involved in each municipality will prepare an Individualized Program for the Execution of Measures (PIEM) which will include the objectives that are intended to be achieved according to the needs detected in the minor and the type of infraction committed.
In no case will the assigned tasks alter their school or work activities and their execution must have the consent of the minor.
