Ghana to Establish Criminogenic Unit – CRRECENT

Juvenile inmates in correctional centres can now have a sigh of relief in their three years rehabilitation programme as the first ever Criminogenic Unit (CU) would be established in the country.

It is a personality and behavioural disorders unit where potential barriers confronting inmates are maximised and overcome through the benefits of laid down interventions.

Mrs Susan Sabaa, the Executive Director of Child Research and Resource Centre (CRRECENT), disclosed this at a training seminar organised for 12 media practitioners from selected media houses in Accra.

The training had the objective of developing participant’s awareness, understanding and appreciation of the juvenile offenders’ life circumstances, and using their professional skills to address causal factor rehabilitation and re-integration support services in the country.

She said, the unit, set to be birthed by CRRECENT would be a preventive programme that would deal with children who have already gone delinquent.

“And this will also build in them resilient to withstand factors that are making them find themselves in such areas,” she said.

Mrs Sabaa explained that the CU would have a number of components and among them would be the training of 20 prison officers by medical psychologists for them to know how to deal and address the challenges of victims.

According to the Executive Director of CRRECENT, prison officers to be trained would not be transferred from the correctional centres.

“We are doing this for government to know this is an initiative and they need to follow.

“As NGOs we have the capacity to lead in certain areas,” she said.

She also noted that support services would be available for victims; and they would also be connected to corporate bodies for assistance after their rehabilitation programmes.

Speaking on the general theme: “Strategies to Combat Juvenile Crime in Ghana”, Mrs Sabaa mentioned strengthening of community structures, early interventions through social protection, improved child and family welfare service and alternative care when the child’s family is not an option as some of the measures needed by stakeholders in addressing the challenge.

She however attributed some of the causes of juvenile delinquency to irresponsible parenting, social media influence, get rich quick attitude among the youth, high drop-out rate from school and inadequate recreational and counselling facilities.

Currently, defilement cases are the leading offences among juvenile offenders with Ashanti and Eastern regions leading in juvenile delinquent cases.

Mrs Efua Chidi, a Public Relations, and Communication Branding Consultant, urged journalists to uphold and promote highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in their reportage on children.

Among the issues discussed at the day’s training were; overview of the juvenile justice project by CRRECENT, nature and causes of juvenile delinquency and crime, local, international and frameworks on juvenile crime,

Others were; approaches to addressing juvenile crime, international and local efforts at re-integration and media and juvenile delinquency.

Some participants who spoke to the Ghana News Agency said, the engagement was insightful and had broadened their knowledge on juvenile justice.

CRRECENT is a civil-society organisation that focuses on evidence-based programmes to promote child and youth protection and development.

It also has a vision to contribute to building a well-integrated society that recognises children in every sector and create the necessary space and opportunity to respond to their developmental needs.

Source: GNA