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 Dynamic security as precondition for proper screening and assessment of violent extremist prisoners

The 3rd regional session of the working group on screening, risk and needs assessment (RNA) and allocation practices when it comes to violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) and radicalised inmates in the Western Balkans, took place online in the period 1-3 December 2020.

The discussion was centred around preconditions, challenges and resources for proper application of the VEP-specific screening and RNA instruments and how the Dynamic Security concept can better facilitate their utilisation within the prison context. It was recognised that this concept needs to be further enhanced by developing appropriate policies and procedures and conducting staff training, so it can be better applied in support to VEP screening, assessment and allocation needs. As a result from the meeting, a follow-up discussion paper with concrete recommendations will be developed, taking into account the specific needs of each Beneficiary and resources available.

The session was organised in the form of bi-lateral discussions between the CoE consultants and multisector professionals coming from the Western Balkans region.

The activity was implemented within the scope of the Regional action “Enhancing penitentiary capacities in addressing radicalisation in prisons in the Western Balkans” that is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe within the “Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” and implemented by the Council of Europe.

1-3 December 2020