In what is described as a radical approach to youth sentencing, Greece says it plans to deal with minors convicted of lesser offences by attaching them to sports clubs.
The Greek Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports are promoting sport as an alternative to punishment for youths aged 12 to 18 who have committed minor offences.
Giannis Vroutsis, one of Greece’s sports ministers, told the public broadcaster ERT on Wednesday that the new measure was “a historic event because it is a 180-degree turn in terms of the functioning of the state towards the reformatory system for children aged 12 to 18”.
Until now, courts have imposed penalties such as community service and sometimes prison for offenders aged 12-18 convicted of offences such as alcohol-related felonies, petty violence and traffic violations.
Now minors under the guidance of a juvenile instructor will be registered to a sports club recognised by the Ministry of Sports to do a sport of their choice. “We say that the antidote to violence is sports,” said Vroutsis.
“This specific measure can function as a mechanism to prevent further delinquency. Children at this age are in a critical phase of shaping their personality, and such actions give them the opportunity to change course and create a new perspective for the future,” Antigoni Ginopoulou, a psychologist, told BIRN.
The planned measure will work better with parallel psychosocial support, Ginopoulou said: “It is necessary to frame their participation with psychosocial support and guidance to ensure the measure’s maximum effectiveness.
“The cooperation of the state and mental health specialists is essential to monitor children’s progress and adapt actions according to the age and needs of the children,” she added.
The programme will be implemented on a pilot basis in five prefectures: Lasithi, Chania [Crete], Ioannina, Kastoria, and Athens. From 2025, it will be implemented throughout Greece.
The measure was implemented for the first time in Lasithi, where a judge announced six youngsters would join sports clubs.
According to police, 10,776 minors – almost 30 per day – committed illegal acts in 2023. One in four violations concerned theft, and one in five, drug dealing.
