The policy paper and relevant standard operational procedures (SPO) for disciplinary measures and rewards procedures were presented to 450 prisons governors, prosecutors and other relevant stakeholders in at the 14th Annual Evaluation Meeting of Prisons in Türkiye organised in Antalya. The policy paper and SOPs were developed, jointly with the management of the Directorate General of Prisons and Detention Houses (DGPDH) and prison governors and staff, to facilitate the uniform implementation of the disciplinary and reward system in line with Council of Europe standards, shifting the focus from sanctions to maintaining good order through prisoner rehabilitation.
The meeting hosted by DGDPH, provided a platform for the President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to discuss the latest trends in prison monitoring and CPT standards in the penitentiary system, and other findings and issues relevant to the Turkish penitentiary system.
The Deputy Minister of Justice and the Director General of DGDPH also spoke to the audience about developments in the enforcement system in Türkiye. The Deputy Minister of Justice highlighted that the contribution of the Council of Europe was valuable and much needed to further enhance the capacities of the penitentiary system, while the Director General of DGDPH underlined that this was the first time they had external participants at their Annual Meetings of prison governors, praising the added value and the assistance provided by the CoE.
The policy paper and relevant standard operational procedures were developed within the scope of the Project on "Enhancing the Disciplinary and Reward Procedures for Prisoners in Türkiye” co-funded by Norway, the Human Rights Trust Fund of the Council of Europe, Belgium, Türkiye, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
