The Community Security Department was formed in September 2001 after the Experimental Probation Service initiated by Prison Fellowship Romania was implemented by the Ministry of Justice, through Government Ordinance 92/2000 on the organization and functioning of social reintegration of offenders and supervision services of execution of non-custodial sanctions.

Mission
Increasing of the local community safety through the rehabilitation of persons with criminal behavior by adressing both the need for protection for the society as well as the specific needs of this category of persons.

Main objectives

• social reintegration of persons who committed crimes
• the creation of a legal community framework and to support genuine social reintegrrii offenders
• crime prevention through information programs conducted in schools and other community institutions
• support prison reform and criminal justice system in Romania

Target Group
The target group of the department is formed of those sentenced to custodial or non-custodial sentences and their families.
Since 2002 the target group was extended to juveniles who have committed crimes but because of young age, are not responsible in front of th elaw and their families; our  aim is to stabilize the criminal behavior in this category of beneficiaries and avoid relapse.
The Romanian Justice System and the entire community are also indirect beneficiaries of the programs implemented by the Security Community Department.

Principles
Principles that conduct the reintegration work with people with criminal behavior:

• the principle of nondiscrimination based on ethnicity, gender, physical and mental capacities, etc.. both in terms of access to services and service provision.
• the principle of effectiveness of interventions, through planning, monitoring and appropriate evaluation of interventions
• the principle of normalization, meaning to treat this category of persons in a similar manner to any other person who lives in the community
• the principle of profiting of community resources, that exist
• the principle of conducting interventions with the participation and colaboration of several institutions.

To fulfill its mission and objectives, the Community Security Department developes activities in prison and community; activities that address both people with criminal behavior and their families as well as institutions, organizations and community in general.
The activities designed for criminals, they aim to change offender`s behavior and to prevente relapse. At the family level, they address family issues of social, financial, relational nature, issues that may constitute obstacles in the rehabilitation of family members with criminal behavior.
At the community level, the goal of the activities is:

• a coherent involvement of all institutions (both the guvernement ones as well as ONGs) involved in the prevention of crime, in the process of social integration of criminals or in the research for new alternatives for detention
• to build the public awarness and sensitiveness for the issues of this category of persons in order to promote a supportive and open attitude of the community towards the persons with criminal behaviour

To prevent crime and violent behavior, in collaboration with schools and high schools in Cluj Napoca we run information programs regarding the most common crimes committed by minors, the causes that may lead to committing crimes and ways to avoid situations with high level of risk for commiting crimes. Students were informed about the actual criminal law and the international stipulations for the criminal treatment of criminal juveniles.
Through its activities the team of this Departement tries to diseminate the information and its expertise on working with people with criminal behaviour and with finding alternatives to detention. These activities include:

• the elaboration of guides, brochures, published scientific research, CDs, documentaries
• organising and attending seminars, workshops, conferences in the field
• support the implementation of prisons and penal reform in countries in Eastern Europe - two representatives of the department have been co-opted into the international expert group of the PRI and helped to draft the bill on probation in Moldova, gave expert advice in the experimental implementing of this institution and supported the penitentiary institution in implementing programs of psycho-social assistence for prisoners.

An important part of the department`s work is given by the involvement of volunteers in the programs and projects developed, and also practice supervision for students from the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work and the Faculty of Psychology of Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj.

Our team
The activities ran by the Community Security Department are carried out by a multidisciplinary team comprising social workers, psychologists, educators and lawyers.

Contact
The Community Security Department
Dragalina Street, no. 86, 400024, Cluj-Napoca
Phone : +40 (0)264 420 969
Fax : + 40 (0)264 420 362
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Coordonator: Carmen Fiscuci, jurist