CHILDREN-IN-CONTACT-WITH-THE-JUSTICE-SYSTEM

Regional Guidelines have much in common. Yet there is a need for Guidelines drawn from a global international perspective, to which people may refer whatever country they come from.

In domains such as health and social services as well as delinquency and crime policies, it is usual to distinguish between three levels of prevention. Primary prevention aims at avoiding the initial occurrence of a problem through strategies that apply to the population at large. Secondary prevention aims at avoiding the occurrence of the problem through more targeted interventions, directed at people who are identified as being at risk. Tertiary prevention aims at reducing recurrence amongst persons facing the same problem again, through interventions targeted at those who are being touched by the problem. In such spheres as delinquency prevention, child protection and similar areas, justice interventions aim at preventing recurrence of the problem and, therefore, are part of what is viewed as tertiary prevention. As they aim at ensuring the quality of children’s interactions with the justice system, including due respect for the rights of children, the Guidelines are part of tertiary prevention and do not impinge on the other two levels of prevention.