The Project “Further strengthening the prison and probation systems, the provision of health care and the treatment of patients in closed institutions in the Republic of Moldova”  with the duration of 48 months (January 2025 – December 2028) is funded through and is in line with the strategic priorities for co-operation as formulated in the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2025-2028.

The Project intervention builds on the achievements of the previous Council of Europe (CoE) Action Plans for the Republic of Moldova, the objectives and priorities of the action-plan for 2025-2028, and the results of the Project “Strengthening the prison and probation reforms, provision of health care and the treatment of patients in closed institutions in the Republic of Moldova” (March 2021- December 2024) and Component II of the Programme “Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova” (March 2018 – February 2021).  

The Project is aimed at further promoting a human rights-based approach to prison management, advancing dynamic security and individualised approach to the rehabilitation of inmates, enhancing the quality of health care in prison (including mental health care), supporting probation services in maximising  the quality of their rehabilitation and reintegration efforts, fostering the cooperation with other criminal justice actors, and improving the legislative and regulatory framework related to the psychosocial rehabilitation of civil and forensic patients in psychiatric institutions.

The Project will focus on interventions across the policy and legal framework, institutional, and practical implementation, aiming to achieve the following expected results:

1. Human rights-based approach to prison management is further enhanced, to better address vulnerabilities in detention due to overcrowding and informal hierarchies, and to support the prisoners’ rehabilitation: integrating individualised offender management tools, guidance and programmes, further increasing the prison staff capacity on preventing violence and apply dynamic security;
2. Quality of health care services (including mental health care) for inmates is enhanced: developing specialised rules and procedures, increasing the prison staff skills and knowledge, and improving the material conditions in prisons healthcare facilities;
3. Efficiency of Probation interventions and programmes are further enhanced:  strengthening the capacities of Probation to treat subjects with increased risk of reoffending, developing quality standards and performance indicators, and improving the inter-institutional cooperation.
4. Rehabilitation and treatment of civil and forensic patients in psychiatric institutions is further strengthened, ensuring the transition from a medicalised model towards a model centred on patients’ individual needs: improving staff expertise, advancing regulatory frameworks, upgrading material conditions, and enhancing psychosocial rehabilitation programmes through a multidisciplinary approach and supportive tools.