Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed off on a large-scale revamp of Russia's juvenile justice system, his Cabinet of ministers said in a statement Sunday.
The revamp, which will focus on the peaceful settlement of cases through a network of mediation services, is set to take effect by the year 2017.
The program's aim is to foster "friendly, humanitarian and safe conditions" for assimilating juvenile offenders.
The document that Medvedev signed lays groundwork for implementing the new system, organizing its activities, hiring staff and coordinating work between institutions that are already active in the field, the statement said.
The system applies to juveniles over the age of 7 and will strive to "ensure that their rights and interests are protected" if they are found liable for a crime.
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