Improving the juvenile justice system and strengthening the education and training of penitentiary staff in Slovenia

The Council of Europe implemented a 24-month joint project to support Slovenia in its efforts to improve the justice system by pursuing two directions, i.e. two components of the project: Component I: introducing new legislation and policies that are in line with European standards and good practices in the juvenile criminal justice system, and Component II: improving the penitentiary system through enhanced training capacities of the prison administration and better human resources policy applied to the prison staff by the Slovenian Prison Administration.

The project was implemented transversally and jointly within two Council of Europe Directorates General: Component I – Directorate General of Democracy, Department of Children’s Rights Polices and Cooperation, Children’s Rights Division (to insert the link to the other component), and Component II – Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law, Police, Detention, Drugs and Addictions Department, Cooperation in Police and Deprivation of Liberty Division.

The Cooperation in Police and Deprivation of Liberty Division addressed through implementation of the Component II issues concerning the lack of organized education and training of prison staff, with the aim of improving the prisoners’ treatment. Slovenian penal practice remains orientated towards a humane treatment of prisoners with emphasis placed on an individual approach. Nevertheless, due to limited training capacities, the treatment of prisoners in practice faces several challenges. To this end, the project focused on the following three areas:

support to the introduction of a modern risk and needs assessment tool for the penitentiary,
development of key training and research entities and capacity building for Prison Administration,
increase of the professionalism of prison staff.

The project started on 1 September 2021 and was completed on 31 December 2023 with an overall budget of 700.000€ for Component II, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.

"This project was co-funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the European Commission"

Project documentation

Useful information

DG REFORM Website

project news

Back Human rights training for trainers and newly recruited prison staff in Slovenia

The Council of Europe works closely with the Slovenian Prison Administration to establish a new Training Academy and Research Institute in order to increase the professionalism of prison staff and thus improve the treatment of prisoners.

The delivery of training in the future Training Academy will be supported by a core team of seven lecturers who were trained by Council of Europe consultants during two Training-of-Trainers sessions in April and July 2023. The training focused on their training skills, conflict management and communication, as well as dynamic security and complemented a 6-month pedagogical training that ran in parallel until June 2023, organized by the Slovenian Prison Administration and delivered by a Slovenian Vocational Training Agency.

The team of lecturers took over the training of their peers using the knowledge and skills acquired through the Council of Europe. To this end, they delivered a first round of training to 14 newly recruited staff from 8 prisons on the management of parenting by prisoners, dynamic security, communication, conflict management, in-house prison regulations and the enforcement of criminal sanctions, and search before a visit to a prisoner.

In November 2023, the Slovenian Prison Administration will deliver independently a second round of training for new prison staff with the logistical support of the Council of Europe project; it will take over complete responsibility for these training activities after the end of the Project.

The Council of Europe helps to enhance the training capacities of the Slovenian Prison Administration within the framework of the Project “Improving the juvenile justice system and strengthening the education and training of penitentiary staff” funded by the European Union via the Technical support instrument and implemented by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the European Commission.

Slovenia 13 October 2023