UNUTRAŠNJA POSTPENALNA PODRŠKA KAO FAZA USPJEŠNE REINTEGRACIJE MALOLJETNOG PRIJESTUPNIKA
INSTITUTIONAL POST-PENAL SUPPORT AS A PHASE IN THE SUCCESSFUL REINTEGRATION OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS

Summary/Abstract: Post-penal support, understood as a comprehensive set of measures and interventions aimed at preparing and capacitating re-socialized juvenile offenders for their reintegration into the community, is not normatively regulated in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a coherent and systematically defined institutional framework. Within the domain of juvenile criminal justice, post-penal support assumes particular importance, as it pertains to a developmentally sensitive population whose resocialization process is inherently intertwined with psychosocial maturation, educational attainment, acquired competencies, family circumstances, and the broader community’s readiness to refrain from stigmatizing the “former offender.” This paper places special emphasis on internal(institutional) post-penal support, referring to structured preparatory processes conducted within correctional or educational institutions, aimed at facilitating the juvenile offender’s transition back into society. Adequate penological individualization, coupled with a professional and multidisciplinary approach by institutional staff working with juveniles, significantly enhances the prospects of achieving the objectives of special prevention. Inline with the primary objective of this study—to underscore the relevance of this form of post-penal support for the ultimate resocialization and successful reintegration of juvenile offenders—the paper examines selected models of internal post-penal support in Scandinavian countries. These models may serve as valuable examples and sources of inspiration, particularly in light of the comparatively low recidivism rates observed in these jurisdictions. Such an approach presupposes a long-term, structured process involving a broad spectrum of stakeholders, characterized by heightened sensitivity and sustained commitment to the resocialization of juvenile offenders. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, these insights may provide a meaningful foundation for prospective reforms in this highly significant segment of the response to juvenile delinquency.

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