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"

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Back New Risk and Needs Assessment tool tested and finalized in Slovenia

In July 2023 the Council of Europe and the Slovenian Prison Administration finalized the development of a new Risk and Needs Assessment tool that will be used to determine the level of risk and classification of each prisoner. The same tool will help prison staff identify needs the of detained persons as part of their individual plan and eventual release and reintegration back to the society.

The drafting of the tool started in April 2022, and a first draft was presented in October. In November twenty-two staff members from seven different prisons in Slovenia including social pedagogues, psychologists and representatives of the Head Office familiarized themselves with the new tool and acquired the necessary skills for the use of the tool.

The Risk and Needs Assessment tool was further tested in practice by the prison treatment staff during a 6-month pilot phase (January-June 2023). A meeting was organized at mid-term, in March 2023 to collect feedback and exchange experience from piloting. The test phase helped adjust and insert corrections that will ease the implementation of the tool in practice.

By the end of 2023 the Slovenian authorities, supported by the Council of Europe, will design a Roadmap for the implementation of the tool and a Guide to help secure the future use of the tool and the on-site application by prison treatment staff.

The Council of Europe supports 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 10 July 2023