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

PROJECT NEWS

Back Healthcare and correctional staff trained on application of occupational therapy in prisons and other closed institutions

@ Council of Europe

A 3-day Training of Trainers (ToT) on the application of Occupational Therapy (OT) in prisons and other closed institutions took place from 22 to 24 January in Istog/Istok, in the vicinity of the largest newly developed modern healthcare institution of Dubrava prison in Kosovo.* The ToT followed the development of occupational therapy guidelines and tools for prisoners with mental health issues.

A total of sixteen correctional and healthcare staff completed the training. The group comprised of ten members the Prison Healthcare Department (PHD), two from Kosovo Correctional Service (KCS), and one member from the Institute of Forensic Psychiatry of Kosovo (IFPK), Special Institute for Persons with Learning and Physical Disabilities (SIS) and Kosovo Probation Service (KPS).

As a result, the participants improved their knowledge and skills on the application of occupational therapy guidelines and tools in prisons and other closed institutions; a concept which was thus far not utilized in Kosovo* in a structured manner. The above-mentioned trainees are now better prepared to deliver peer-to-peer trainings and present information effectively, respond to participant questions, and lead activities that reinforce learning of the OT by other professionals.

Healthcare, correctional, and probation professionals being trained together represents an added value that will further strengthen inter-institutional cooperation in the treatment and rehabilitation of some of the most vulnerable parts of the Kosovo* society.

This training was also attended by one expert from the EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) who contributed with relevant expertise, but also representatives from the National Prevention Mechanism of the Ombudsperson Institution, Prison Inspectorate, and the civil society thus further improving the quality of the event.

The activity was organized under the auspices of the Council of Europe project “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty”

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* All references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions, or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United National Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Kosovo* 22-24 January 2024