Ben is 15 years old and a drug addict. He came to the first dose through his clique, which is his top priority. It even went so far that he skipped school to hang out with his friends. Until the youngsters attacked a betting shop, ended up in court and received probation assistance from the judge. Since then, Ben has been one of 2000 Upper Austrian clients of the Neustart association, which supports offenders in changing their behavior in the long term and creating a stable life situation. The aim is for people to go through life with impunity.
“The exact procedure always depends on the client’s history and his situation. In this case, we contact the parents and see where they need support,” says Josef Landerl, head of Neustart Oberösterreich. In addition, trained social workers would work on Ben’s drug use and its causes. “We support him with a possible change of school or the search for an apprenticeship position.” Neustart itself offers work training, in which the often untrained clients do gardening and painting work together with supervisors. Most of the probation services are men between the ages of 15 and 35. Most of them have committed break-ins or theft.
This is followed by bodily harm, although violence has shifted more and more from public space to private life since the pandemic. “Since September we have also been responsible for the mandatory violence counseling after a ban on entering and approaching,” says the director. Some of Neustart’s clients are sex offenders or murderers.
More pressure and loneliness
However, according to Landerl, there was no increase in crime in the corona pandemic.
“What we are seeing is increased drug and alcohol abuse among our clients. In the past few months they have come under more pressure and have become more lonely.” But this also has the positive effect that those being looked after are more reliable than usual in keeping their personal appointments and having longer conversations.
How often someone meets with a social worker also depends on the likelihood of relapse. The duration of the care is often specified by the court. The drug addict Ben could end care after about two and a half years. That is how long the offenders stay on average when restarting.
“Most of the time, we can prevent someone from ending up in prison. Two-thirds no longer become delinquent while providing support,” says Landerl.
Source: Nachrichten
