The Impact of Psycho-Social Interventions and Social Emergency Support and the Reform and Training Center in Crime Prevention for Delinquent and Victimized Children in the New Criminal Procedure Code

Abstract

Children and adolescents are considered the most important asset and human resources of any society. Childhood, as the period of personality formation, is of particular significance, especially in Iranian society, which has a young population. Social workers, utilizing the teachings of psychology, sociology, and other disciplines, as well as adhering to professional principles such as acceptance and individuality, aim to assist the criminal justice system. Through the methods they employ in understanding individuals, they can offer effective support in providing responses tailored to the personal, familial, and social conditions of children. Additionally, by overseeing the enforcement of sentences, they can accompany the child until the completion of rehabilitation and reintegration. Unfortunately, in Iran, due to the lack of a juvenile justice system on one hand and the absence of systematic social work services within the criminal justice system on the other hand, social workers currently do not offer cohesive services to delinquent and victimized children within the criminal system. However, the legal gap in this area has created the opportunity for drafting the "Bill for the Protection of Children and Adolescents" and the bill addressing crimes against children and adolescents. In these drafts, the presence of social workers and their interaction with judicial authorities in various stages of the criminal process, such as the police stage, investigation, prosecution, and enforcement of sentences, has been recognized in several articles. Therefore, despite international emphasis on supporting children and employing differential proceedings for them at various stages of the criminal process, we have yet to witness the formation of such a system in Iranian law that aligns with international standards. Consequently, this paper examines the impact of social emergency psycho-social interventions and the Reform and Training Center on crime prevention and the support of delinquent and victimized children within the Iranian criminal justice system, in accordance with the new Criminal Procedure Code. The findings indicate that if the educational and cultural programs of the Reform and Training Center are implemented with a developmental and educational approach, they will contribute to the correction, rehabilitation, training, and personality reconstruction of the delinquent child.