Lithuania to increase checks on people convicted of sexual crimes

Lithuania’s Probation Service will carry out enhanced preventive checks throughout September on people convicted of violent or sexual crimes against women and children, LRT reported.

The checks will take place across Lithuania on both weekdays and weekends, the service said in a press release. They will focus on people under probation supervision who have committed violent or sexual offences against women and children.

Probation officers assess risks of criminal behaviour and monitor compliance with court-ordered obligations using electronic monitoring, regular checks and behaviour-change programmes. They also refer people for continued psychological consultations and work with addiction counsellors.

More than 1,700 people on probation have been ordered by courts or have voluntarily attended anger-management and behaviour-change programmes for domestic abusers this year.

During the enhanced checks, teams of probation officers, psychologists and resocialisation specialists will visit the supervised individuals at home. They will check whether court orders not to visit certain places or communicate with specific people or groups are being followed, and whether the individuals are using psychoactive substances.

The teams will also speak with the supervised individuals and their relatives about the person’s behaviour, changes during the sentence and emerging risks. They will assess the need for social, psychological or other assistance in the home environment and provide consultations to both supervised individuals and their relatives.