Latvia Prison Administration: assessing multidimensional family therapy

Latvia’s Prison Administration, overseen by the Ministry of Justice, works with other state and municipal institutions to identify effective preventive measures for children and young people at risk of offending.

Childhood exposure to violence can lead to problem behaviour that later escalates into offending and crime. In 2022 alone, Latvia recorded 5,276 administrative-offence proceedings against minors, with corrective educational measures ordered in 5,143 cases, and 570 recorded instances of crimes committed by minors – out of a population of 356,864 children under 18.

Against this backdrop, the Prison Administration needed a detailed, evidence-based assessment of whether Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), a proven method used elsewhere in Europe, could be feasibly introduced in Latvia to intervene earlier and more effectively.

Civitta researched the feasibility of introducing MDFT in Latvia through a combination of international benchmarking and local stakeholder engagement.

Key activities included:

• Conducting a detailed analysis of MDFT implementation in Estonia, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands
• Carrying out in-depth interviews and discussions with Latvian children, young people and their families to assess how well MDFT would fit their needs
• Engaging state and municipal institution representatives to gauge institutional support and implementation considerations
• Identifying the potential target group for MDFT and its specific needs
• Developing three distinct implementation scenarios, each with a corresponding cost estimate

The research delivered a clear picture of the target population for MDFT in Latvia, how state and municipal institutions could be involved in its delivery, and three costed implementation scenarios for national roll-out. This gives Latvian public authorities a concrete roadmap for deciding how – and at what cost – to move forward with introducing MDFT as a preventive tool for at-risk children and families.

Services Provided:

• International benchmarking and comparative policy analysis
• Qualitative research (interviews and discussions with children, families and institutional stakeholders)
• Target group identification and needs assessment
• Scenario development and cost modelling