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 -------------- ¶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