The Council of Europe works closely with the Slovenian Prison Administration to establish a new Training Academy and Research Institute in order to increase the professionalism of prison staff and thus improve the treatment of prisoners.

The delivery of training in the future Training Academy will be supported by a core team of seven lecturers who were trained by Council of Europe consultants during two Training-of-Trainers sessions in April and July 2023. The training focused on their training skills, conflict management and communication, as well as dynamic security and complemented a 6-month pedagogical training that ran in parallel until June 2023, organized by the Slovenian Prison Administration and delivered by a Slovenian Vocational Training Agency.

The team of lecturers took over the training of their peers using the knowledge and skills acquired through the Council of Europe. To this end, they delivered a first round of training to 14 newly recruited staff from 8 prisons on the management of parenting by prisoners, dynamic security, communication, conflict management, in-house prison regulations and the enforcement of criminal sanctions, and search before a visit to a prisoner.

In November 2023, the Slovenian Prison Administration will deliver independently a second round of training for new prison staff with the logistical support of the Council of Europe project; it will take over complete responsibility for these training activities after the end of the Project.

The Council of Europe helps to enhance the training capacities of 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.