Georgia: INL-funded Legal Socialization Program Launched

UNCLAS TBILISI 000690


DEPARTMENT FOR INL/AAE, EUR/CARC, EUR/ACE

E.O. 12958: NA
TAGS: SNAR PGOV GG
SUBJECT: Georgia: INL-funded Legal Socialization Program Launched
in the Schools


1. Summary: The Georgia Legal Socialization Project (GLSP),funded
by INL and implemented by Project Harmony, has successfully sent
Ministry of Internal Affairs neighborhood and patrol police to ninth
grade classes in order to work with teachers in implementing Project
Harmony's "Lawful Culture" curriculum. The GLSP pilot, which was
launched in January 2008 by the Ambassador, took place in 18 schools
throughout the country and involved 1,300 students. The project is
unique in its approach to prevent juvenile crime since it seeks to
build relationships between educators, students, parents, and the
police in order to develop public safety awareness and increase
crime prevention and civil societydevelopment. According to
UNICEF, which implements a number of juvenile justice programs in
Georgia, the number of Georgian children prosecuted for juvenile
offenses has increased by over fifty percent since 2005. Based on a
successful assessment of the pilot in March, INL put out a
solicitation to support the expansion of the project for the 2010
school year with $150,000 in FY08 funds.

Background
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2. The GLSP curriculum replaces the Soviet-era model of
police-community relations and law as a tool of state security and
punishment, with a culture of interaction and respect. Project
Harmony is implementing the GLSP in cooperation with the Ministries
of Science and Education and of Internal Affairs of Georgia. Before
the curriculum was introduced in the schools, the Ministry of
Internal Affairs identified sixteen police officers to participate
in a training workshop with educators selected by the Ministry of
Education last fall. Police officers were selected based on their
education and experience working with juveniles. (Note: Of the five
week basic training course for new police, the Police Academy only
dedicates three hours to juvenile justice and working with
juveniles. INL's new police advisor, however, will be working with
the Academy at their request, to expand basic and advanced training
opportunities.) In the past, neighborhood police officers were
assigned to a specific community but had little, to no "community
policing role." They were viewed in the adversarial enforcer
paradigm rather than as collaborative problem-solvers. The
neighborhood police inspector could only access schools upon
receiving permission from school administrations.


3. After the completion of the basic training course in Georgia,
experts from the two ministries traveled to Armenia and the U.S.
The program in Georgia was modeled on the success of a similar
program also funded by Project Harmony in Armenia. The Georgian
experts consulted on best practices and conducted cite visits to
Community Justice Centers in Yerevan and Gyumri. They also visited
Juvenile Rehabilitation Centers in Armenia which are credited for a
significant reduction in crime due to the rehabilitation and
remobilization of youth who take part in center programs.


4. In Vermont (headquarters of Project Harmony International),the
Georgian participants visited Community Justice Centers which offer
volunteer, citizen-delivered restorative processes as a first step
in dealing with conflict and petty crime. The centers are
community-oriented and empower communities to make decisions;
justice committees are made up of volunteers. Studies have found
that these centers raise awareness of civic responsibility among
citizens, law enforcers and offenders. The group also met with High
School Reparative Board members and School Resource Officers (SRO)
whose job it is to facilitate communication between schools and
Qwhose job it is to facilitate communication between schools and
parents.


Completion of Pilot and Recommendations
--------------


5. In March 2009, a Project Harmony assessment team from the U.S.
visited Georgia and met with government officials, other
implementers in Georgia, and INL. The pilot program has received
kudos from the communities involved. Students, parents, and
teachers report they have increased trust in and respect for the
police and an increased awareness of their rights and civic
responsibilities. Students are less fearful of police and some
reported this experience had made them think about becoming police
officers. In addition, the GLSP has seemingly won the support of
both the Ministry of Education and Science and Internal Affairs.
(Note: The MOIA has not, however, embraced the idea of permanently
assigning School Resource Officers to schools.)


6. INL hopes to continue funding future programs that extend this
legal socialization project to more schools, including in the
minority areas of Georgia since the GLSP pilot has proven effective
in reducing the risk of criminality among Georgian teenagers. INL
would like to see future program implementers consider the utility
of peer-to-peer curriculum instruction, using real-life case
studies, and expanding the target student audience to including a
wider age range (ex: grades 7-12) with the goal of one day,
supporting the government's desire to institute a national
curriculum. Lastly, INL will explore possible synergies with the
"community prosecution" program that the Ministry of Justice has
directed prosecutors throughout the country to implement
immediately. "Community prosecution" will include elements of
school out-reach and juvenile justice.

TEFFT