The working group composed of prison professionals and representatives of the Ministries of Justice of BiH, of the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska met for the third time in Međugorje on 24-26 September 2025, turning its attention to crisis protocols for psychological first aid and responses to critical incidents inside prisons.

Guided by Council of Europe standards and expertise, the discussions delved into the practical development of the “Management of crisis interventions in the work with Violent Extremist Offenders (VEOs)”, the structure of the documents and its core elements. At the heart of this work is a commitment to develop relevant intervention mechanisms that contribute to the well-being and positive mental health of prison staff.

Prison staff operate in demanding environments where exposure to stress and high-risk situations can take a heavy toll. By focusing on mental health and well-being, relevant bodies are working to strengthen not only the resilience of staff but also the overall operational capacity of the prison system in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The working group members also used this session to discuss next steps in improving the well-being and mental health of prison staff. Namely, following the development of the Training plan and programme for improvement of well-being and mental health of prison staff working with VEOs, the selected prison staff will be trained to raise awareness and enhance skills of their peers to carry out their duties effectively, while maintaining their own well-being, morale and long-term career sustainability.

This activity was organised as part of the Council of Europe Project “Providing for effective reintegration of violent extremist offenders in Bosnia and Herzegovina (PER-VEO) - Phase I”, which is funded under the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022-2025.