Preventing juvenile reoffending

To support young people in becoming independent and maintaining a law-abiding lifestyle, the project provides access to a support person (mentor) service and temporary supported accommodation.

These services are available to young people who are:

• convicted of a criminal offence and serving a prison sentence;
• released from prison, including on parole or early release;
• in pre-trial detention or released from detention;
• under probation supervision with behavioural monitoring requirements;
• a suspect or defendant in pre-trial or court proceedings;
• conditionally released from punishment by the court;
• sentenced to a non-custodial penalty instead of imprisonment, or subject to a juvenile or young adult intervention measure;
• a young person whose criminal proceedings have been discontinued by the prosecutor or the court;
• currently receiving, or having completed, services in a secure childcare institution;
• responsible for a misdemeanour where the level of culpability is low and there is no overriding public interest in continuing proceedings, or who has been assigned an intervention measure or obligation.

Support Person (Mentor) Service

The role of the support person is to advise and assist the young person in establishing an independent life and coping with everyday challenges, thereby reducing the risk of reoffending.

For young people serving a prison sentence, meetings with the support person begin up to six months before release and continue after release in the community. During imprisonment, the focus is on assessing the young person's needs and preparing them for release. After release, support focuses on successful adjustment to independent living and reintegration into society.

The support person works in cooperation with relevant regional authorities and service providers. Following a risk assessment conducted by professionals from the prison service, probation service, prosecutor's office, secure childcare institutions, local authorities, the Social Insurance Board, or other relevant organisations, the service provider is informed about young people who would benefit from a support person. Young people and their family members may also request access to the service directly.

The service is voluntary and may be provided for up to 18 months.

The support person service is delivered by the Omanäolise Kooli Arenduskeskus (Centre for the Development of the Unique School).

Temporary Supported Accommodation

The purpose of the temporary supported accommodation service is to provide safe, temporary housing for young offenders aged 18–29 who need a stable environment to rebuild their lives.

The accommodation centre is more than just temporary housing. Staff provide practical support and counselling, including helping residents develop an individual action plan for entering education or employment and monitoring progress towards these goals.

Where necessary, young people can also receive debt counselling and psychological support. The service follows a structured daily routine that residents are expected to follow.

The activities aim to develop self-discipline and the practical skills needed for independent living. They also promote healthy daily routines and positive values, including maintaining personal hygiene, building safe relationships, looking after mental health, and overcoming substance misuse.

The supported accommodation service, including counselling, is voluntary and free of charge. However, participation requires the young person's motivation and commitment to addressing their challenges and choosing a law-abiding lifestyle.

Young people may stay in the accommodation for up to 18 months.

Supervised Work Practice Programme

To support young people in entering the labour market, a supervised work practice programme is offered to young people in prison.

A key component of the programme is giving discarded materials a new life through design and creative reuse. In addition to developing practical work skills, participation also strengthens essential transferable skills such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, adaptability, learning skills, and the ability to understand the wider production process.

At Tallinn Prison, the programme focuses on the recycling and upcycling of textile waste. Under professional guidance, participants learn to sort clothing and textile waste, identify different materials, clean and prepare textiles, remove components such as buttons and zips, and acquire garment repair techniques. They then use reclaimed materials to create new products, including clothing and accessories.

The programme is delivered by Aus Mood OÜ.

As part of the project, the Prison Service implements activities that support the mental well-being, social skills development, and family relationships of young people who have committed offences. These activities aim to help young people develop law-abiding behaviour and facilitate their successful reintegration into society.

Family-Centred Approach

Estonian prisons and the probation service increasingly apply a family-centred approach when working with young offenders. This approach recognises that a young person's behaviour should be understood within the context of their family environment.

In practice, this means regular and structured cooperation with the family. Parents are involved in discussions, intervention planning, and information sharing related to the young person's progress. Where appropriate, other family members or significant adults are also included if their involvement is expected to have a positive influence. The objective is to support positive change throughout the environment in which the young person lives and develops.

At the same time, many prisoners themselves are parents or have partners and close family members who also require support. A parent's imprisonment can be particularly difficult for children, as the arrest itself may be traumatic. Children of prisoners may also experience stigma in kindergarten, school, sports clubs, or other social settings.

Although the Prison Service cannot provide direct support to family members, it can help create child-friendly conditions for family visits within prisons. These efforts are supported through specialised training for prison staff and the development of practical guidance materials.

EQUIP Cognitive Behavioural Programme

The project also provides training for prison social workers to deliver the EQUIP cognitive behavioural programme.

The programme is designed to strengthen young prisoners' thinking skills, self-regulation, and interpersonal skills in order to reduce reoffending and improve their ability to reintegrate into society.

Participants learn to understand:

• how their thoughts influence their behaviour;
• why impulsive or aggressive reactions occur; and
• how to make more informed decisions in challenging situations.

Programme sessions take place in small groups, where participants:

• discuss practical real-life situations;
• learn to recognise harmful patterns of thinking; and
• practise self-control, problem-solving, and consideration for others.

Group-Based Rehabilitation Programmes

The project also strengthens the delivery of group-based rehabilitation programmes in prisons. Programmes such as EQUIP help participants develop the skills needed to lead a law-abiding life after release from prison.

These programmes are not intended simply as punishment. Their purpose is to reduce the risk of future offending and contribute to a safer society.

Sessions are usually delivered in small groups led by trained facilitators and focus on practical life skills and behavioural change. Participants learn, for example:

• how to manage their emotions more effectively;
• how to resolve conflicts without violence;
• how to cope with stress, addiction, and impulsive behaviour;
• how to take responsibility for their actions; and
• how to build and maintain supportive relationships.

The group setting also enables participants to learn from one another's experiences. In a safe and supportive environment, they practise communication skills, discuss challenging situations, and receive feedback from both facilitators and fellow participants. This often helps participants recognise their own behavioural patterns and understand how their decisions affect others.

The programmes are based on evidence-informed methods and are delivered by appropriately trained professionals. Their overall objective is to support lasting behavioural change, enabling participants to reintegrate successfully after release, secure employment, maintain healthy relationships, and live without committing further offences.

Additional Activities

The project also supports:

• the development of psychological support services for prisoners;
• training in stress management techniques for prisoners; and
• strengthening prison staff's capacity to identify and respond to the risk of radicalisation.

The project implements a range of activities aimed at strengthening the criminal justice system, enhancing the competencies of professionals, and improving cooperation between organisations working with young offenders.

Specialist Training Programme

The Specialist Training Programme is designed to strengthen professionals' knowledge and skills for working with young people who have committed offences. The training brings together professionals from different sectors, creating a shared learning environment that helps establish common knowledge, skills, and professional approaches across the criminal justice and social support systems. This promotes a coordinated, collaborative, and consistent approach to supporting young people.

The programme consists of six training courses, allowing participants to select those most relevant to their professional roles and responsibilities.

The first five courses form the training series "Compass for Professionals – A Direction Towards Young People", delivered by the Faculty of Law of the University of Tartu until 2029.

The courses include:

• Causes of Youth Offending, Behavioural Risk Factors and Characteristics (4 days)
• Principles of Professional Communication When Working with Young Offenders (3 days)
• Supporting Young People's Law-Abiding Behaviour and Independent Living (4 days plus a follow-up seminar)
• Special Procedures for Juveniles in Criminal Proceedings (4 days plus a follow-up seminar)
• Young Adults in Criminal Proceedings (3 days plus a follow-up seminar)

The programme is open to professionals working in law enforcement, social services, child protection, and other fields who encounter young offenders or offending-related cases in their work.

Safe Cooperation Framework Training

The Specialist Training Programme also includes Safe Cooperation Framework Training, which equips professionals with the knowledge and practical skills required for effective collaboration within the TUKO multi-agency network.

The training takes into account participants' professional roles as well as the risks and support needs of individuals under probation supervision or serving prison sentences. It promotes structured, coordinated, and goal-oriented cooperation to support law-abiding behaviour and successful reintegration, while contributing to more consistent implementation of the TUKO model across Estonia.

Restorative justice is an approach to addressing conflicts and offences that focuses on repairing harm, involving all affected parties, and supporting accountability. At its core are the needs of the victim and the creation of a safe, solution-focused dialogue between everyone involved. Where appropriate, the process also includes family members, the wider community, and other affected parties.

The principles and practices of restorative justice are increasingly being applied throughout the criminal justice system, including by the police, prosecutors, courts, probation services, and prisons. Through this project, restorative justice practices are further developed and embedded among professionals working with young people, with the aim of increasing the use of restorative approaches in conflict resolution and the reintegration of young offenders.

Training Programme

As part of the project, the training programme "Foundational Skills in Restorative Justice for Professionals Working with Young Offenders" is delivered.

The programme aims to strengthen professionals' knowledge, skills, and attitudes, enabling them to apply restorative and development-oriented approaches when working with young people.

The training focuses on developing participants' ability to:

• understand and apply the principles of restorative justice;
• facilitate restorative dialogue and conflict mediation;
• create safe and trusting communication environments;
• support cooperation with young people, their families, and the wider community; and
• encourage accountability and the repair of harm.

The programme consists of six training days, two online seminars, and independent learning. It also explores the role of the community in the reintegration of young people and provides practical tools for preventing and resolving conflicts.

The training programme is delivered by AJ Palestra OÜ, MTÜ RuaCrew, and Innustuste Akadeemia OÜ in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs.

The trainers are the only internationally accredited restorative justice trainers in Estonia and have extensive experience across a wide range of sectors and case types:

• Annagrete Johanson
• Kadi Lukka
• Kadri Ann Salla
• Margarita Ingel

The project's partners contribute to addressing key challenges within the criminal justice system, strengthening inter-agency cooperation, and promoting the use of alternatives to imprisonment and other non-punitive interventions that have been shown to reduce reoffending.

Social Insurance Board

The Social Insurance Board is responsible for developing restorative justice services for young offenders. Restorative justice is one of the support services provided under Estonia's Victim Support Act. Restorative justice practitioners—including trained volunteers and victim support specialists—facilitate mediation processes between those affected by offences.

Office of the Prosecutor General

The Office of the Prosecutor General has developed a specialised intervention model for young adults, building on the existing juvenile consultant model. Under this approach, consultants have been recruited in several regions across Estonia.

Consultants support prosecutors in identifying the most appropriate interventions for individual young people in order to prevent further offending. They act as a link between prosecutors, service providers, and other professionals, while ensuring that young people and, where appropriate, their parents are actively involved in decision-making. The role requires creativity, flexibility, and the ability to coordinate tailored solutions across different services.

Police and Border Guard Board

The Police and Border Guard Board is expanding the use of brief interventions in police work with young people who have committed misdemeanours.

In appropriate cases, the police may discontinue misdemeanour proceedings on grounds of expediency while applying a brief intervention instead. This approach enables proportionate responses that encourage behavioural change without relying solely on formal sanctions.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court provides training for judges and other criminal justice professionals on the specialised treatment of young people covered by the project.

Training helps ensure that children, adolescents, and young adults are treated in an age-appropriate manner and supports informed decision-making on sentencing and alternative interventions, including restorative justice, at the earliest possible stage.

Training topics include:

• sentencing principles, including measures applicable to juveniles and young adults;
• communicating with juveniles and young adults, including interviewing techniques; and
• the application of secure childcare institution services.

Probation Service

The Probation Development Department of Tallinn Prison is responsible for the project's probation-related activities.

The partner strengthens probation officers' competencies in working with young offenders and modernises the approach to community service, ensuring that it reflects the principles of restorative community service. Under this approach, community service is designed not only as a sanction but also as a meaningful learning experience that enables young people to make a positive contribution to society and repair the harm caused by their offending.

More broadly, the partner aims to increase the proportion of young offenders who successfully complete probation, thereby reducing the number of custodial sentences that ultimately need to be enforced.