Fostering the Implementation of Restorative Justice and Victim-Offender Mediation in the Probation Service

The project on "Fostering the Implementation of Restorative Justice and Victim-Offender Mediation in the Probation Service", supported by the EU Delegation in Tirana (under the European Instrument for Democratization and Human Rights) and UNICEF, was implemented in 2012-2013 by the Foundation "Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation of Disputes" in collaboration with the Directorate General of the Probation Service.The action´s goal was to integrate restorative justice and mediation in cases of convicts supervised by the probation service and the parties affected by the offenses.
This project was a continuation of the investment made in recent years to promote restorative justice and mediation in Albania, with the support from the EU and UNICEF.

The innovation of this project was that it focused on strengthening the cooperation with the Probation Service and had wider geographic coverage.

The project was implemented in Tirana, Korca, Durres, Fier, Shkoder, Gjirokastra, Elbasan, Lezha, and in districts where new local probation offices were established. Also in terms of beneficiaries, they were not only juveniles, but adults as well, who served their sentence under the supervision of the Probation Service, persons injured by criminal acts, and families of those involved in conflicts. Other beneficiaries were probation service employees and AFCR mediators attended training on RJ and Mediation.