Newsroom
High-level officials of North Macedonia discussed necessary interventions following latest report of the Council of Europe Committee against Torture
In a high-level meeting, senior officials working on prison reform discussed the way forward to address the key challenges stemming from the main findings of the European Committee against Torture (CPT) 2023 report on North Macedonia. The event was attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry...
Piloting of Policy Paper and Standard Operating Procedures concerning disciplinary and reward practices in Türkiye
Between 30 September and 4 October 2024, pilot visits were conducted at five prison facilities in Türkiye, including Sincan Juvenile Prison, Nevşehir E-Type Prison, Kayseri Women's Prison, Boğazlıyan T-Type Prison, and Çorum L-Type Prison. These visits aimed to pilot the newly developed policy...
Prison healthcare in Moldova to incorporate best European practices
A fact-finding mission on the current organisation of healthcare within the prison system, reinforced by the expertise of Council of Europe consultants Jorg Pont, Marzena Ksel and Svetlana Doltu, was organised on 1-2 October 2024 in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. In line with the longstanding...
Peer-to-peer knowledge sharing within Romanian penitentiary system
From 16 to 24 September 2024, four teams of trainers composed of medical and non-medical professionals passed the knowledge on multidisciplinary management of prisoners with mental health problems to their peers from Botosani, Galati, Baia Mare and Craiova prisons in Romania. In total 106...
New operating procedures for police middle management introduced in Montenegro
The joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Enhancing human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Montenegro” organized two training sessions for police middle management staff of the Regional Centre “North” on 26-27 September in Bijelo Polje, gathering...
New Council of Europe initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina to support women in law enforcement
A pilot project aimed at integrating gender perspectives into the work of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s law enforcement sector was officially launched in August 2024. As part of this initiative, two working group sessions have already taken place in Zenica and Banja Luka (on the photo), led by members...
Solitary confinement in prisons and its alternatives: a human rights perspective
Solitary confinement of prisoners is still widely used in many countries in Europe and around the world, although many studies suggest that it is often extremely damaging for prisoners’ physical and mental health and not conducive to their resocialisation. So how to mitigate this damage, and what...
Serbian prison system improves methodology for management and rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners
Prison professionals from treatment and security departments of four detention facilities in Serbia have learned about the latest improvements in the methodology used in identification of signs of radicalisation, assessment of risk and needs, and rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners and...
Healthcare behind bars: Armenia's path to better prison healthcare
On September 17, 2024, Yerevan hosted a conference on the future of prison healthcare in Armenia, bringing together experts, policymakers, and international representatives for intense discussions. The aim of the conference was to explore and evaluate the challenges, achievements, and future...
Council of Europe provides expertise for the establishment of sex-offenders’ only prisons in Greece
Following the decision of the Greek authorities to designate two prisons for sexual offenders, and invitation of the General Secretariat for Anti-crime Policy, Ministry of Citizen Protection, Council of Europe presented the Recommendation CM/Rec (2021)6 regarding the assessment, management and...
Forum on “Effective Work of Psychologists as an Essential Part of Prison System Reform” held in Kyiv
On 28-29 August 2024, the Forum on “Effective Work of Psychologists as an Essential Part of Prison System Reform” was held in Kyiv. The event was organised jointly by the Council of Europe Project “Towards More Humane Detention Conditions and Reduced Reoffending in Ukraine (DECOPRIS)” and the EU...
Enhancing Armenia's Probation Service through targeted training
In an important effort to enhance the rehabilitation of probationers, Armenia recently hosted a specialised training of trainers from 20 to 22 August 2024, in Yerevan. This event brought together experts from the Probation Service and the Centre for Legal Education and Rehabilitative Programmes...
Empowering the next generation of human rights defenders - Council of Europe hosts summer school to promote human rights compliance in Georgia
Lopota, Georgia, July 19-26, 2024 – The Council of Europe brought together 42 law students from various Georgian universities for a Summer School to deepen their understanding of human rights and strengthening their advocacy skills. The Summer School provided participants with a comprehensive...
Innovating prison healthcare: Armenia’s advancement in telemedicine
Recognising its importance, the Council of Europe has consistently supported Armenian national authorities in enhancing healthcare accessibility for individuals deprived of liberty by integrating telemedicine into prison healthcare strategies. This included a needs assessment, policy...
Albanian prison service equipped with incident protocol for prisoners with mental health disorders
The Council of Europe is assisting the Albanian prison service to further improve the treatment and protection of prisoners’ rights, this time by developing a unified guidance related to the reaction of prison staff to incidents that involve prisoners with mental health disorders. Namely, the...
Council of Europe enhances skills of mental healthcare professionals and correctional staff on psychosocial programmes and rehabilitation methods
Mental healthcare professionals and correctional staff should constantly strengthen their practical knowledge and skills and be aware of international standards and good practice to be able to provide appropriate treatment to persons deprived of liberty. Therefore, a three-day training on...
Rehabilitation over punishment: Armenia adopts risk and needs assessment tool for convicts
On 02 July 2024 a Risk and Needs Assessment (RNA) tool for convicts was adopted by decree of the Minister of Justice of Armenia, marking a paradigm shift in the approach to resocialisation of persons deprived of liberty. This tool must now be applied across all penitentiary institutions to assess...
Professional judgment on violent extremist and radicalised prisoners has to be verifiable and factual
How to identify signs of radicalisation, perform assessment of risk and make a professional judgment on violent extremist prisoners or marginalised and vulnerable prisoners at risk from radicalisation, and tailor their rehabilitation path, were the main topics discussed at the 2-day training for...
Advancing restraint measures alternative to detention in Armenia
The new Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia extends the catalogue of restraint measures by introducing administrative control and house arrest, the latter being closest to detention in terms of restriction of the rights and freedoms. To ensure the proper implementation of the new provisions of the...
Council of Europe assists Kosovo* institutions in developing protocols on reporting ill-treatment in prisons and other closed institutions
Accurate reporting of ill-treatment in prisons and other closed institutions and its effective investigation, including evaluating the medical evidence, is of utmost importance for preventing and tackling this phenomenon and improving the treatment of prisoners and persons held in other closed...
Establishing alliance with prisoner is the main pre-requisite to rehabilitation, preparation for release and social reintegration
Practical application of the instruments used in screening of signs of radicalisation, risk and needs assessment of violent extremist prisoners (VEP-specific tools), marginalised and prisoners at risk from radicalisation, individual approach to their rehabilitation and their preparation for...
Romanian delegation explores mental health care system of the UK
From 16 to 21 June, a Romanian delegation comprising of representatives of the National Administration of Penitentiaries and Ministry of Health had an opportunity to explore the mental health care system of the United Kingdom. The aim of the visit was to assist Romanian professionals with...
Penitentiary practitioners of Montenegro enhance their skills for pre-release work and rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners and prisoners at risk of radicalisation
The management of the Montenegrin penitentiary system recognises the need for developing the skills of its front-line practitioners for proper application of specific instruments and approaches to strengthen the rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners (VEPs), vulnerable and marginalised...
Revising oversight procedures in North Macedonia’s prisons
Improving the prison oversight and reporting procedures put in place by the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions (DES) of North Macedonia was in the focus of the working group that met on 17-18 June 2024. Guided by a Council of Europe international consultant, the DES oversight team visited...
Meeting to finalise Policy documents on disciplinary sanctions and reward practices for prisoners
As the final phase of the process of drafting a policy document and Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) for the implementation of disciplinary sanctions and reward practices for prisoners in Türkiye, a roundtable meeting was held in Ankara on 13 June 2024. The aim of the event was to present the...
Third joint Steering Committee meeting of Armenian projects
Building on the Council of Europe's commitment to support criminal justice reforms in Armenia, the projects “Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of the Persons in Detention in Armenia” and “Strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia” set the agenda for the second half of 2024. At their...
Strengthening inter-institutional cooperation on rehabilitation and reintegration of violent extremist prisoners into the society in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Council of Europe is supporting prison staff in Bosnia and Herzegovina to strengthen their capacities and protocols in managing and rehabilitating violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) and effectively reintegrating them into the society. One of the important aspects of this support is...
Albanian prison staff improve their knowledge on delivering cognitive behaviour therapy for prisoners
In response to a request of the Directorate General of Prisons, the Council of Europe provided a dedicated training programme which empowers prison staff to deliver cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) in prisons. To this end, a two-day training was held on 12-13 June 2024 at the Training Centre...
Albanian prison service to adopt trauma-informed therapy for women in prison
The Council of Europe is helping the Albanian authorities to introduce trauma-informed therapy in Ali Demi prison – the only prison in the country for women offenders. In this context, a two-day training on was held on 10-11 June 2024 in Tirana, at the premises of the Training Centre for Prison...
First-of-its-kind joint training for medical professionals in Romania
The joint training, held on 11-12 June in Bucharest brought together medical professionals from the penitentiary system and civilian hospitals of Romania to look into the fundamental human rights of prisoners and explore possibilities of cooperation. The participants had a possibility to learn...
North Macedonia: prison staff strengthen skills to implement tools and programmes for violent extremist prisoners and prisoners vulnerable to radicalisation
The Council of Europe continues to support the penitentiary institutions in North Macedonia by improving staff capacities related to management of violent and extremist prisoners (VEPs), and those vulnerable to radicalisation. In this context, a two-day advanced training session for 13 prison...
Conference on exploring effective approaches to rehabilitation in criminal justice: international insights
The conference, held on June 11-12, 2024 in Yerevan, brought together professionals and experts from different countries to explore effective rehabilitation approaches in criminal justice. Organised by the "Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons in Detention" and "Strengthening the...
High-level prison management from Türkiye on a study visit to Spain
Between 4 and 6 June 2024, a study visit to Spain was organised for high-level representatives of the Directorate General of Prisons and Detention Houses (DGPDH), prison management and staff in order to familiarise them with good practices on discipline and reward procedures for prisoners in...
Yerevan State University hosts probation-academia cooperation session
On 10 June 2024, the Faculty of Law at the Yerevan State University hosted an awareness raising session on the importance of probation services and possible cooperation with academic institutions. This initiative, part of the Council of Europe’s efforts to strengthen Armenia’s Probation Service,...
Training of Trainers in Armenia on alternatives to detention
In an ongoing effort to enhance Armenia's Probation Service, the Council of Europe organised a Training of Trainers session on 7-8 June 2024 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia. Attended by participants from the Probation Service of Armenia and the Centre for the Implementation of Legal Education and...
Preparation of persons serving long prison sentences for better reintegration into society
A new, comprehensive, and structured reintegration programme for persons serving long prison sentences (over 5 years), has been presented to treatment prison officers from Central, Western and Northern Serbia at the beginning of June. Presentations were organised in Novi Sad and Belgrade and...
Albanian prison and probation staff strengthen skills to implement rehabilitation tools and pre-release programme for violent extremist prisoners and prisoners vulnerable to radicalisation
The Council of Europe continues to support the penitentiary institutions in Albania by improving prison and probation staff capacities related to management of violent and extremist prisoners (VEPs), and those vulnerable to radicalisation. In this context, a 3-day advanced training session for 22...
Monitoring bodies of Montenegro further strengthen their ability to conduct visits to places of detention
The joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Enhancing human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Montenegro” organised a specialised training session for monitoring officers of the National Preventive Mechanism and the Ministry of Justice on 3-4 June in Podgorica....
Workshop in Yerevan addresses ill-treatment documentation issues in police detention facilities
On 5 June 2024 a workshop focusing on the documentation of alleged ill-treatment cases in police detention facilities took place in Yerevan. The presence of Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, along with key representatives from various governmental bodies including the Ministry of Health,...
Further strengthening of multidisciplinary work in Romanian Penitentiary system
The Council of Europe continues to strengthen the capacity of multidisciplinary teams from 4 prisons in Romania to effectively manage prisoners with mental health problems. This refresher training for 15 trainees with medical and non-medical backgrounds focused on the barriers that people with...
Training-of-trainers for Probation Service specialists and legal educators in Armenia
To strengthen further the rehabilitation work with probationers in Armenia, a specialised training was conducted from 23 to 25 May 2024 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia. The training targeted specialists from both the Probation Service and the ”Centre for Legal Education and Rehabilitative Programmes”,...
Penitentiary psychologists in Ukraine ready to pilot rehabilitation programme on psychological and psychosocial support for prisoners
From 22 to 24 May 2024, 23 psychologists working in different prisons in Ukraine were trained in piloting and practical application of the Rehabilitation Programme on psychological and psycho-social support for prisoners. The goal of the Programme is to achieve positive changes in the behaviour...
Senior penitentiary management set to roll out new Mental Health Standards in prisons
From 17 to 19 May 2024, 15 senior managers from the Special Penitentiary Service completed a two-year plan to implement new mental healthcare standards in prisons for 2025-2026. The dedicated workshop, organised with the support of the Council of Europe, included discussions, presentations, and...
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Equipping prison staff with skills to provide peer-to-peer trainings on management of violent extremist prisoners
With the support from the ministries of justice on all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Europe has delivered a training of trainers on the management of violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) for prison staff from all prisons in the country on 14-17 May, in Sarajevo. The aim of...
Support for North Macedonia’s Directorate for Execution of Sanctions in setting framework for Prison Police intervention teams
A working group of experienced prison officials and senior representatives of Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions met on 20-21 May 2024 in Skopje, to discuss the regulations of Prison Police intervention teams. Introduced as a novelty by the latest amendments to the Law on the Execution of...
Work on Strategy and Action Plan on Mental Health for Romanian penitentiary system has commenced
On 14 May, the first meeting of the inter-agency working group tasked with developing the Strategy and Action Plan on Mental Health for the Romanian penitentiary system took place online. The Working Group includes representatives of the National Administration of Penitentiaries, Ministry of...
Ongoing development of staff Training programme on discipline and rewards for prisoners in Türkiye
Following the second working group (WG) meeting in February 2024 on preparation of a training programme for prison staff on maintaining effective discipline and implementing a reward mechanism for prisoners in line with the Council of Europe standards, the third meeting was organised in Bolu from...
Public consultation on conditional release policies
Public consultation on reforming the system of conditional release in Armenia took place in Yerevan on 15 May 2024. Among the attendees were representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutor General's Office, Penitentiary Service, Probation Service and relevant NGOs. The aim of the...
Fostering interagency cooperation: workshop empowers collaboration in Armenia's criminal justice system
A recent joint workshop held in Tsaghkadzor on 2-3 May, organised within the framework of two Council of Europe projects – “Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons in Detention in Armenia” and “Strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia” – brought together key stakeholders from...
Collaborative workshop advances rehabilitation programmes for violent offenders in Armenia
In an ongoing effort to develop innovative rehabilitation programmes addressing the specific needs of probationers who have issues with violent behaviour, the Council of Europe hosted a two-day workshop at the Probation Service in Yerevan, Armenia, on 29 and 30 April 2024. It focused on creating...
Training of penitentiary psychologists on piloting the Substance use rehabilitation programme
From 29 April to 1 May 2024, a three-day training for psychologists from the State Department for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions of Ukraine took place in Truskavets, Ukraine. The objective of the training was to equip the participants with the necessary skills to pilot a newly developed...
Expert meeting to develop the National Action Plan for implementation of the Penitentiary Reform Strategy until 2026
From 29 April to 1 May 2024 an expert meeting was held in Truskavets, Ukraine, to develop a National (Operational) Action Plan for the implementation of the Penitentiary Reform Strategy for the period until 2026. The meeting was chaired by Olena Vysotska, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine,...
Fostering effective rehabilitation and reintegration support for violent extremist prisoners and prisoners at risk of radicalisation in the Western Balkans region
Equipping violent extremist prisoners and prisoners at risk of radicalisation with practical skills and qualifications that enhance their employment prospects after release and providing them with multi-agency support upon release is crucial for their effective rehabilitation and reintegration....
Official launch and first Steering Committee meeting of the DECOPRIS project in Ukraine
On 23 April 2024, the Council of Europe Project “Towards more humane detention conditions and reduced reoffending in Ukraine” (hereinafter – DECOPRIS) held its Launching event and the first Steering Committee meeting. The Project builds on the results achieved within the EU and the CoE Joint...
Police officers’ human rights training skills certified in Bosnia and Herzegovina
On 16-17 April 2024 in Sarajevo, 10 law enforcement officers were certified to deliver human rights-based training in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This activity is a part of a national trainer accreditation scheme developed in close co-operation with the cantonal and entity Ministries of Interior in...
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Prison directors further enhance knowledge on effective management of violent extremist prisoners
For effective management of prisoners, it is essential for senior level prison management to regularly renew and enhance their knowledge of the latest international and domestic developments in the field. Therefore, the Council of Europe organised an awareness raising workshop for all prison...
Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe expresses support to Moldovan authorities in strengthening healthcare in prisons
The Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe Bjørn Berge visited the Republic of Moldova. During the two-day visit, he and the Minister of Justice, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru hosted a handover ceremony of important medical equipment to cover the outstanding prison healthcare needs and thus...
Armenian penitentiary system advances resocialisation efforts with risk and needs assessment tool
On 4 April 2024, the Council of Europe organised a workshop aimed at discussing the results of piloting the risk and needs assessment (RNA) tool designed to enhance the resocialisation of convicts. Attended by key figures including the Deputy Minister of Justice, Head and Deputy Head of the...
Capacity building of Albanian Probation Service on rehabilitation of violent extremist offenders
In order to equip the Probation Service of Albania with practical knowledge and skills in assessing risk and needs of violent extremist offenders (VEOs) in relation to the rehabilitation process, the Council of Europe organised a 3-day online training on “Application of the Risk and Needs...
A complaint form for prisoners in Türkiye is being developed
The first working group meeting for developing a template for a standardised complaint form and a data base was organised in Ankara on 1-2 April 2024 with the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Ombudsman Institution, and Human Rights and Equality Institution. The...
Annual Conference of the Council of Europe Police Network
The Council of Europe Police Network hosted its annual conference on police data processing, data protection and human rights in Strasbourg from 19 to 21 March 2024. The conference gathered 65 participants, among which 30 represented member states of the Network. In addition, observers to the...
Fifty practitioners in Kosovo* enhance skills in provision of occupational therapy
Following the adoption of the Guidelines for Occupational Therapy (OT), as well as the Training of Trainers (ToT) on OT that took place in January 2024, three 2-day cascade training sessions were organised in the course of February and March 2024. Fifty professionals, mainly from the Prison...
Workshop on reliability check of piloted risk and needs assessment tool in Armenian prisons
In an effort towards enhancing the rehabilitative approach in Armenia’s criminal justice system, a workshop centred on the -reliability check of the risk and needs assessment (RNA) tool during its piloting phase in Armenian prisons was held in Yerevan on 22 March 2024. This workshop attracted...
Roundtable on prevention and effective investigation of ill-treatment by police officers
A roundtable focusing on the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in relation to Serbia concerning ill-treatment in police custody and ineffective investigations into such allegations (Stanimirović v. Serbia group of cases) took place on 19 March in Belgrade. Consultations...
Bosnia and Herzegovina: support to authorities in improving well-being of staff working with violent extremist prisoners
Working with prisoners is a very demanding job; working with violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) and prisoners with a tendency to radicalisation can put an additional psychological pressure on prison staff. For the latter to be able to do their job without feeling intimidated or stressed and...
Cooperation Committee of Justice Programme on Czechia within EEA/Norway Grants and meetings with Council of Europe representatives
On 19-20 March, the Council of Europe hosted in Strasbourg the 11th Cooperation Committee (CC) meeting on Justice Programme for Czechia within EEA/Norway Grants. Representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance and Prison and Probation Services discussed, together with the...
20 Prison Directors from Albania trained on leadership skills and prison management
20 prison Directors representing all the Albanian penitentiary institutions, gathered in Tirana from 18-20 March 2024 to attend a leadership and prison management training, delivered by two Council of Europe international consultants and the Head of the Albanian Training Centre for prison staff....
Council of Europe continues supporting national penitentiary and police reform initiatives in Georgia
The Council of Europe Office in Georgia welcomed government officials, members of international and local non-governmental organisations, academia and other stakeholders to the official launching events of the Projects “Support to Penitentiary System Reform” (on 13 March) and “Enhancing Human...
Conference of the Police Network on police databases and data protection
The Council of Europe’s Police Network hosted its annual conference on 19-21 March 2024 in Strasbourg (France). This event was dedicated to “Police data processing - How to harmonize police efficiency with data protection and Human Rights”. It brought together high-ranking representatives of...
Empowering penitentiary personnel: Armenian penitentiary staff trained in suicide prevention
In an effort to address the issue of self-harm and suicide within prison facilities, approximately 130 penitentiary staff members underwent skill-based trainings on suicide intervention plans in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia. The four two-day trainings, which took place in February and March 2024, were...
Council of Europe’s continued assistance to prison and probation reform, health care improvement in Moldova's closed institutions – 6th Steering Committee meeting
29 February 2024, Chisinau – The sixth Steering Committee meeting of the Council of Europe Project “Strengthening the prison and probation reforms, provision of health care and the treatment of patients in closed institutions in the Republic of Moldova” was held in Chisinau. With the...
Focusing on rehabilitation programmes for probationers struggling with addictions
In a collaborative effort to confront pressing challenges surrounding the implementation of rehabilitation programmes for probationers suffering from addictions, stakeholders from different sectors gathered at a workshop organised by the Council of Europe in Yerevan on March 7, 2024. The workshop...
Provision of healthcare in North Macedonia’s prisons: first meeting of cross-sectoral working group enhances coordination at central level
The first meeting of the working group on enhancing central-level coordination for penitentiary healthcare in North Macedonia took place on 5-6 March 2024, bringing together senior officials of the Ministry of Health, the Health Insurance Fund, the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions, as...
Support for the use of electronic monitoring in Greece
The Council of Europe continues to provide its very much needed technical assistance to the Greek penitentiary authorities by supporting thematic activities in 2024. In continuation of a past project (2019-2021) and ad hoc activities in 2022-2023, the Cooperation in Police and Deprivation of...
Penitentiary system of Serbia committed to further improvement of rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners (VEPs)
Representatives of the Ministry of Justice (Department for Execution of Criminal Sanctions), Ministry of Interior (Service for Combating Terrorism of the Criminal Police Directorate), prison practitioners from the security and treatment service, discussed preconditions to making specific...