Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty in Kosovo*
The Council of Europe is implementing a Project on the “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty” with a duration of 36 months (October 2022 – September 2025), co-funded through voluntary contributions of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Norway, and the Council of Europe. The Project has an overall budget of 850000 EUR.
The Project will focus on supporting reform initiatives to consolidate the already achieved results within the framework of the 2016-2018 Horizontal Facility action “Enhancing the protection of human rights of prisoners in Kosovo*”, and expand the work to enable favorable conditions for treatment and healthcare provided to persons deprived of liberty compliant with the Council of Europe standards.
The Project’s target groups are healthcare professionals and other categories of staff in prisons and other closed institutions, whilst the end beneficiaries are prisoners in need of medical attention, forensic institute patients, and persons with mental and physical disabilities accommodated in special social welfare institutions.
The Project aim will be accomplished through the following measures:
- strengthening co-operation and increasing consistency and co-ordination of approaches of all relevant stakeholders so as to improve the health care provided to all persons who are de facto, and de jure deprived of their liberty, including convicted persons, patients involuntarily committed to psychiatric hospitalization and persons with mental disabilities placed in social welfare institutions;
- further enhancing the professional performance of the Prison Healthcare Department within the Ministry of Health through capacity-building measures, by establishing relevant protocols and strengthening safeguards against ill-treatment;
- reviewing legislation and policies regulating involuntary psychiatric hospitalization in light of Council of Europe standards and assessing and revising procedures and information provided to patients on their rights; and,
- strengthening the protection of the human rights of detained patients with mental disabilities and facilitating their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
By achieving the above-mentioned objectives, the project will further enhance the knowledge and skills of medical and non-medical staff in prisons, other closed institutions, and relevant stakeholders, to strengthen the safeguards against ill-treatment in line with Council of Europe standards and the CPT recommendations. It will develop an efficient working methodology and encourage sustainable co-operation, with an overall aim to ensure the protection of the human rights of persons deprived of their liberty, with focus on convicted persons and patients with mental disabilities.
* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo
Project documentation
Useful information
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The first of the two identical 3-day Training of Trainers (ToT) sessions for the Prison Healthcare Department (PHD) of the Ministry of Health on the updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for provision of healthcare in prisons took place from 30 October – 1 November in Istog/Istok, Kosovo.*...
Healthcare professionals from Kosovo* explore Finnish best practices on occupational therapy for prisoners with mental disorders
On 3-5 October, a six-member delegation from Prison Healthcare Department (PHD), Kosovo's Ministry of Health visited the Finnish Prison System. Over the 3-day visit, PHD healthcare professionals delved into Finland's prison healthcare system renowned for rehabilitation of offenders, gaining...
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On 3-4 August, a 2-day Workshop was held in Pristina, Kosovo*, under the auspices of the Council of Europe project "Improvement of the Treatment of Persons Deprived of Liberty." The workshop's primary focus was on the development of the Kosovo Correctional Service (KCS) Strategy for the period...
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On 11-13 July 2023, a working group (WG) meeting on the development of a specific set of occupational therapy guidelines for the Prison Health Department (PHD) of the Ministry of Health of Kosovo, in line with Council of Europe and CPT requirements, was organized in Istog/Istok, Kosovo*. The WG...
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On 25 April 2023, a high-level roundtable took place in Pristina, at which the findings and recommendations of the Council of Europe assessment missions on the legal statuses and regulatory frameworks of the Institute of Forensic Psychiatry of Kosovo (IFPK), the Special Institute for Persons with...
Procedures for forensic patients and persons with mental and physical disabilities in Kosovo*
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Enhancing mental healthcare in Kosovo* prisons: Council of Europe facilitates the revision of mental health protocols and Standard Operating Procedures of the Prison Health Department
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Comprehensive assessment of mental health care provision in prisons and other closed institutions conducted
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Council of Europe has officially launched the new project “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty”
On 22 November 2022, a half-day conference held in Pristina marked the official launch of the Council of Europe’s project “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty”. Over fifty representatives of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Prison Health Department, Kosovo...
Call for International consultancy services in the area of healthcare for persons deprived of their liberty in Kosovo*
Call for International consultancy services in the area of healthcare for persons deprived of their liberty in Kosovo* Deadline: 19 December 2022 For more information, please follow this link * All references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions, or population, in this text shall be...
European Prison Rules
CPDL Highlights
