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 management tools and rehabilitation methodology, fully functional in working with violent extremist and radicalised prisoners within the Serbian penitentiary system, at the first Working Group meeting for Serbia held on 28-29 February 2024 in Belgrade.

The Working Group members recognised the value and advantages of having specific instruments and rehabilitation approaches when working with radicalised and violent extremist prisoners, to ensure that a professional and objective judgment of a prisoner is made, as the first step to preventing radicalisation in prison, and have suggested areas for further improvement.

The Action provided expertise to assist the process of adjustment and optimisation of the tools and programmes and help professionals steer and tailor the rehabilitative path of this category of inmates in Serbia.

The meeting was held under auspices of the Regional Action “Enhancing co-operation in the Western Balkans in managing violent extremism in prisons and preventing further radicalisation after release”, and the Horizontal Facility Program III.