On 3-5 October, a six-member delegation from Prison Healthcare Department (PHD), Kosovo's Ministry of Health visited the Finnish Prison System. 

Over the 3-day visit, PHD healthcare professionals delved into Finland's prison healthcare system renowned for rehabilitation of offenders, gaining insights into overall operations and especially into mental healthcare. The delegation had the opportunity to visit the penitentiary headquarters, a psychiatric hospital in Turku, health care services for prisoners and a psychiatric hospital in Vantaa, as well as the Kerava open prison. The openness and expertise of the Finnish counterparts greatly enriched this educational experience.

The focus of this visit was on Finland's occupational therapy programmes for prisoners with mental disorders. The goal was to learn best practices, adapt them into PHD’s daily work, and integrate these insights into occupational therapy guidelines that are currently being developed with supported by the Project.

The study visit also incorporated broader learnings from Finnish counterparts on prison healthcare, mental health, and rehabilitation. These insights will be integrated into PHD’s Standard Operating Procedures, currently under revision with the Project's support, with their impact assessed in a later project phase.

The study visit has been implemented as part of the of the Council of Europe Project “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty” co-funded through voluntary contributions of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Norway, and the Council of Europe.

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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.