What are the activites carried out by the #Probation service in #Bulgaria?
Here’s an interesting contribution by Елена Чурукова, from the Department “International Cooperation and Training of Staff” of the General Directorate “Execution of Sentences”, Bulgarian Ministry of Justice.

The probation in Bulgaria appears in 2005. There are 7 Regional Services „Execution of
Sentences“, under which 26 District Services „Execution of Sentences“ and 2 Units „Probation“.
The probation service works in cooperation with other organizations of the judicial system and
public sector together with community organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and civil
society. The aim is to reduce the risk of relapse and harms of probationers, as well as to be prepared the
successful release of prisoners and reintegration of ex-prisoners in the society.
The approach in the execution of the sentence „probation“ is humane, multidisciplinary and
multiinstitutional. The probation is a combination of imposed measures together or separately to control
and influence to the offenders in order to reduce the risk of relapse and harms for the convict and
society. The probationers stay in the community and keep their social contacts and activity. They
function as social subjects of full value. This allows the real involvement of the community, the labour
collectives and the families of offenders in the process of their correction and reeducation. A risk
assessment of relapse and harms, an initial report, an individual report and a plan are applied in order to
apply the probation measures for the implementation of the probation. A minimum of 2 interviews with
the offender are implemented for the risk assessment with the purpose of being identified their need. In
case of high or middle risk the officer prepares a detailed Risk management plan (RMP). The individual
plan includes the problematic and risk areas, aims which correspond to the identified necessities or
needs related to the case, the activities to reach the aims and the deadlines for implementation of these
activities. The goals mentioned in the plans are concrete, realistic and achievable or so-called „SMART”
goals. So 6 months after imposing the sentence a re-assessment for risk of relapse is prepared and it is
based on the fact that a report for replanning is prepared, if it is necessary.
The result is to stimulate the increase of the responsibility, the independent thinking and action
as main prerequisites to strengthen the social positive way of life of convicts. Regular supervisions are
done.
The probation officers carry out activities related to the execution of judgments, accomplish
individual correctional work with probationers, conditionally released people of the prison with a
measure „probation surveillance“ and conditionally sentenced people with a measure „probation
surveillance“. They control the implementation of electronic monitoring of offenders. The probation
officers prepare pre-trial reports, work with state institutions and non-governmental organizations to
help the offenders, interact with other institutions regarding the execution of the sentence, do analytical
reference activity, plan, organize and report their activity. The specialized probation officers have
pedagogical and psychological education together with the inspectors pedagogues, psychologists,
lawyers, policemen, criminalists and social workers of Department „Child Protection“ to the
Municipalities. The specialized officers which work with juveniles convicts do activities connected with
execution of judgments and carry out individual correctional work with juvenile offenders. They are in
permanent interaction with Children’s Pedagogical Room under the Ministry of Interior (MoI),
Department „Child Protection“ to the Municipalities, Local commission for combating anti-social
behavior of minors, work with the families and relatives of convicted juvenile offenders. They analyze,
plan and report their work. The work with juveniles is directed to increase the effectiveness of the
prevention. In parallel with the common goals for execution of sentences and education measures exist
the following specific goals: individualization of the work with young offenders through unification and
coordination of all efforts of specialists of local authorities and organizations, working with juvenile
offenders, specialization and professionalization of the work with them, provision of effective services
and cares, corresponding to the criminogenic needs. An important part of the work with offenders is the
preventive activity which is upbringing, education and training of the personality in order to protect
against socially unacceptable behavior in a moral and legal aspect. The probation officers assigned to
work with juvenile convicts work according to a methodology affirmed by General Directorate
„Execution of Sentences“ (GDES) for risk assessment of juvenile offenders – ОASYs.
The number of juveniles convicts is very small, as for each juvenile the probation service
analyzes, plans and reports to a multiinstitutional team, which includes representatives of the Children's
Pedagogical Room – Ministry of Interior, Local commission for combating anti-social behavior of minors
and Department „Child Protection“ to the Municipalities. The heads carry out regular supervisions of the
case management. In the work with juveniles there is no practice of applying restorative justice, but in
individual correctional work, it is emphasized to the empathy, since most juveniles do not recognize the
acts they commit in their criminal aspect.
As a problem in the work with juvenile offenders can be mentioned the disinterestedness on the
part of the parents and their reluctance to actively engage in correctional and educational work, which
makes difficult to hold the mandatory meetings with the probation officer. Other problems are gaps in
school attendance, a circle of friends with a criminal orientation, some of the convicts of Roma origin
have poor literacy and are socially neglected.
As a good practice, when working with the victims, we can mention implementation of electronic
monitoring in victims of home violence, in particular in cases when it is imposed a probation measure
with a judicial act „Restriction of free movement“ or the offender does not approach the residence of
the victim.
The unique difficulties that we could point out in the work with adults convicts are in cases when
the convicts have low social status, low education and neglecting the sense of the sentence „probation“.
In rare cases, difficulties are also encountered when working with mentally ill convicts/with a
severe form of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, who neglect the therapy prescribed by medical
specialists.
One of the main missions is to promote in the community the usefulness and results of
implementation of the measure „Free work for the benefit of society“, as well as the big benefit of
implementation of electronic monitoring.
The work of probation officers is evaluated through pre-planned and agreed supervisions by the
heads of units, as well as by the officers of Unit „Probation“ in General Directorate „Execution of
Sentences“. Audits are performed by the Ministry of Justice for the control of implementation of the
above activities of the part of the probation services.