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.

Project documentation

Useful information

PROJECT NEWS

Back Participants from the region learn from BiH experiences in preventing radicalisation in prisons and disengaging violent extremist prisoners (VEPs)

@ Council of Europe

A study visit to the penitentiary system in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which took place on 07 and 08 April 2022, gave an opportunity to the representatives of the penitentiary systems in North Macedonia and Serbia to better understand BiH approaches to VEPs rehabilitation and management and learn from their experiences.

The participants jointly discussed the positive and the negative aspects of the dispersive and centralised allocation models, both applied by BiH with regards to VEPs. They also exchanged experiences on utilisation of the screening tools and risk and needs assessment instruments and how to best respond to the specific needs of each VEP individual, through adjusting the rehabilitation methodology and treatment plan. The visitors also got acquainted with the advantages of the Case Management System developed in BiH and its functionality and application in practice.

The delegation visited the premises of the BiH State Prison and the Detention Facility of Closed Type in Zenica. It was a common conclusion that working engagement, occupational therapy and vocational training opportunities are extremely valued by prisoners and that these are stimulative for their motivation, especially with regards to VEPs, to further engage in the rehabilitation process.

The activity was implemented under the regional action “Enhancing penitentiary capacities in addressing radicalisation in prisons in the Western Balkans”, within the Horizontal Facility Program for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe.

Bosnia and Herzegovina 11 April 2022