HF II Regional - Enhancing penitentiary capacities in addressing radicalisation in prisons

As part of the second phase of the European Union and the Council of Europe co-funded cooperation framework “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey” (Horizontal Facility II), the Council of Europe implemented a Regional Action on “Enhancing penitentiaries capacities in addressing radicalization in prisons in Western Balkans”. The Action was implemented in close cooperation with the Ministries of Justice and the P/CVE coordination bodies of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Republic of Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia…. The Action included a wide spectrum of other national stakeholders and civil society organizations active in the penitentiary field and countering violent extremism and radicalisation in prisons.

The main aim of the Action was to enhance regional security by improving the inter-institutional exchange of knowledge and good practices in the region in respect of radicalization in prisons, with a view on providing penitentiary system staff with necessary standards, tools and instruments needed to respond appropriately. Another important goal was to empower in-county multi-agency coordination to counter radicalization in prison and to provide adequate post-penal support to released violent extremist offenders.

The Action also assisted the national authorities to ensure that the application of the tools and mechanisms on national level with regards to addressing radicalisation in prisons further strengthens in light of the identified good practices in the region.

The Action’s duration was set at 36 months and it iwas completed by 31 December 2022, with an overall budget of 2,000,000.000 Euros.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

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Back Corrections staff improved practical skills on application of specific tools and programme for violent extremist prisoners

A group of 16 prison and probation professionals from Kosovo* were trained to become facilitators of the new specific tools and treatment programme for violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) and radicalised inmates. Through presentations, case studies, role plays and discussion the future trainers improved their knowledge and practical skills on the application of the basic screening and the in-depth risk and needs assessment (RNA) tools. They also enhanced their understanding of the mental health issues that occur in this category of prisoners and further strengthened their skills in radicalisation prevention, VEPs management and treatment planning.

The training of trainers’ (ToT) session followed the development of the above-mentioned tools and programme and set the minimum preconditions for their piloting in two selected prisons in Kosovo, namely Dubrava and the High Security prison, planned to start in April 2021. The local trainers will be also delivering cascade training sessions to their peers from prisons across Kosovo with aim to increase their awareness of the newly introduced approaches and tools in preventing radicalisation and countering violent extremism in prisons.

The ToT hybrid session, co-facilitated by one international consultant, present online, and one local consultant, present in person, was organised from 01 to 04 March 2021 in Pristina within the scope of the Regional action “Enhancing penitentiary capacities in addressing radicalisation in prisons in the Western Balkans” that is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

Pristina 1-4 March 2021