On 4-6 December 2023, in collaboration with the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), a 3-day event on early detection of self-harm and identification of suicide risks in a prison setting was conducted in Istog/Istok, Kosovo.*

The main audience of the event comprised 50 KCS uniformed staff, who are the first a prisoner sees when entering a prison. In addition, the event was facilitated by 10 members from the Prison Health Department (PHD) of the Ministry of Health of Kosovo. An added dimension of this workshop-training was also the strengthening of cooperation between the KCS and PHD, whose members took this opportunity to discuss and jointly propose solutions on the subject matter of the event. The head of the National Prevention Mechanism of the Ombudsperson Institution of Kosovo and civil society representatives also participated. The event was concluded with the development of two screening tools: one to be used upon admission and another for use at a later stage. An international Council of Europe consultant also facilitated the event, thus ensuring that the said screening tools are in line with Council of Europe standards (in particular those of the CPT).

The Director General of the KCS and the head of the PHD were amongst the participants of the Workshop as equal contributing members, thus proving the importance of this cooperation for both the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Ministry of Health of Kosovo.

The Council of Europe continues to work with the KCS and the MoJ as one of their key strategic partners to ensure the protection of human rights of prisoners at the highest level.

The activity was conducted 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.