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THE NEW " CLOSED
EDUCATONAL CENTRE " OPENS IN GEVEZE
23.12.06
by Michel TANNEAU for Ouest-France.
IT'S THE LAST CHANCE BEFORE JAIL. A " CLOSED EDUCATIONAL CENTRE "
WILL SOON
WELCOME 12 MINOR DELINQUENTS IN THE NORTH OF RENNES. IT'S AIM IS TO
REHABILITATE THEM.
It's an old, renewed farm, far from the neighborhood, in Gévézé's countryside, in the north of Rennes. There
are no more signs of the unhealthy atmosphere that was there 2 years ago when the mayor - who has
nothing to do with this project- had to face the residents' hostile reactions. On 16.01.07, the " closed
educational centre " will welcome its 12 first boarders. There will only be 12 and they'll be staying for 6
months, a period renewable once. " It's a chance but it's their very last chance. " says Frédéric Pierpaoli,
the " closed educational centre " ' s head. The " closed educational centre " is first of all a solution for
young persistent offenders. It's meant to be for those who don't listen to the judge's or the juvenile court's
advice.
" A way of Rehabilitating "
There are 3 metres' high fences, doors equipped with a digital access locks, cameras. The bedrooms'
windows are locked and leaving the room equipped with showers and toilets is forbidden, unless there's
a medical problem, between bedtime at 10 p.m and getting up at 7.30 a.m. A night watchman is awake all
night long.
There's no doubt about it, the minors aren't free. Even if an escape or an attempt to run away occurred,
something that's technically possible, the nearby police station in Hédé would be immediately alerted.
And the guilty party would go to jail, the real one. " A special needs teacher must be present during
every outing."
Along with la Jubaudière ( in the Maine-et-Loire region ), Gévézé is one of the 2 only " closed educational
centre " in the west for 13 to 16 years old. Gévézé's centre will be managed by Diagrama. " An association
which the Department of Justice approves of and that's been successful in rehabilitating young delinquents "
states Danielle Mouazan, the Department's Judiciary Protection for Youngsters' regional director. " This
department's special needs teachers are of course part of a team because judges listen to them before sending
a minor to a " closed educational centre ".
The centre has been financed by the Department of Justice which has invested in the centre's building site
and organization. Human resources are important. Frédéric Pierpaoli stresses out that : " youngsters must
make the most of this frustrating period to get a solid education, work on their future and avoid committing
other offences ". During the day, a third of their time will be spent learning, a third exercising at the gym or
outside and another third learning how to work with wood and about horticulture." And in the evening? DVD,
library or computer, " but always in a special needs teacher's presence. " The head doesn't want to be too
hopeful. " We don't expect a 100 % success rate. But the children's judge will be constantly assessing the
youngsters."
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TRANSLATOR'S NOTE: In France, boot camps or behaviour modification programmes such as WWASP's don't exist.
Instead, the government has gradually decided to open some " centres d'éducation fermés " ( = closed educational
centres ) in order to rehabilitate persistent young offenders. Those schools are located in remote areas in the
countryside. There are now 22 in France. Their opening is still very controversial. Nevertheless, several candidates
who are currently running for president have emphasized there should be more of them. The following article talks
about one of these centres which opened in Gévézé, just outside of Rennes, the capital of Brittany, where I live.
I read this article in the most famous local newspaper, Ouest-France. Gévézé is in the middle of the countryside. The
centre can welcome up to 12 youngsters who're between 13 and 16 years old. It's the 22nd centre in France. It's
financed by the Department of Justice and managed by a Spanish association called Diagrama. Diagrama already deals
with more than 20 other centres in Spain.
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Article translated by Anne-Marie Barré, Rennes, France |
