MAPPING INSTITUTIONS FOR THE EXECUTION OF MEASURES AND SANCTIONS IMPOSED ON CHILDREN IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE NATIONAL DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION STRATEGY 2018–2027 “TIMJANIK”

Abstract

The juvenile justice system represents a specific segment of the criminal justice system aimed at 
protecting children's rights, promoting their rehabilitation and social reintegration, and preventing 
juvenile delinquency, in accordance with national and international standards. In recent years, this 
system has undergone continuous development and alignment with European principles, with an 
increasing emphasis on the concept of restorative justice. The aim of this paper is to map and 
analyse the institutions responsible for the execution of measures and sanctions imposed on 
children in conflict with the law, as well as measures for securing their presence, with a particular 
focus on their role and positioning within the ongoing process of deinstitutionalization in North 
Macedonia. This process, envisaged by the National Deinstitutionalization Strategy “Timjanik” 
(2018–2027), seeks to replace institutional care with community-based services. Consequently, 
questions arise regarding the compatibility between existing juvenile justice measures, which 
largely rely on institutional infrastructure, and the new policies aimed at reducing institutional 
placement. The analysis is limited to institutions in which measures and sanctions involving some 
form of deprivation or restriction of a child’s liberty are executed. The paper highlights the 
complexity and fragmentation of the system, as well as the challenges associated with its 
adaptation to the deinstitutionalization process, particularly with regard to ensuring appropriate 
institutional and alternative forms for the execution of measures and sanctions imposed on children 
in conflict with the law.