ON WHY WE SHOULD IMPROVE THE REHABILITATION PROGRAM OF THE DSWD REGARDING CHILDREN IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW RATHER THAN LOWER THE AGE OF CRIMINAL LIABILITY

CHRISTIAN CALICDAN

Rehabilitation Center

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES 

Treatment Services These are comprehensive interventions for the treatment of youth offenders which primarily carried out by an interdisciplinary team composed of social worker, psychologist, houseparent, and in some instance, a psychiatrist. 

Group Living Services These refer to the provision of well-balanced, organized and non-formal activities to the youth which are geared toward achievement of treatment goals for individual youths and the group as a whole. The youth offenders are also given the opportunity to engage in income-generating so that they could earn and save for their future. 

Special/Non Formal Education This is undertaken in coordination with the Department of Education, which provided formal/remedial classes and paid teachers to youth offenders who were forced to stop schooling because of their deviant behavior and commission of offense. In remedial education, the curriculum is adapted to the age, capacity and interest of the individual youth inside the center. Youth offenders are taught in an informal setting, small in size, and use activity and individualized learning. If needed, the youth attends school outside the center. Vocational skills training are integrated in this service to provide the youth occupational skills preparation for his reintegration to the community. 

Mentoring ProgramThis includes the youth offenders who have finished the rehabilitation process. These rehabilitated youth to help other children still going through the process. This is more effective since the ones who already experienced it can better empathize with and have more credibility among the newcomers. This mentoring program is not only for children in conflict with law but also for those children who want to learn .

 

Aside from this, I suggest that social workers of local government units should provide after-care services to the released CICLs. There must be educational assistance, vocational training, counseling, legal assistance, psychological and psychiatric assessment. Their parents must also be given livelihood assistance as necessary. This will ensure that they are being reintegrated into society properly and are being provided with the services necessary to prevent their going back to activities detrimental to them and to the community.

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The vision of justice isn’t about saving money or averting prison construction–and it’s certainly not about being soft on crime. It’s about making things right instead of lamenting what’s wrong, cultivating strength rather than perpetuating failure.”

– Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial, 11 July 1993

THANK YOU!