Newsroom
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...
2024/AO/15 - Local consultancy services in the area of penitentiary in Ukraine
Within the framework of the Project “Towards More Humane Detention Conditions and Reduced Reoffending in Ukraine” the Council of Europe is launching a call for the provision of local consultancy services in order to support the implementation of the project with a particular local expertise in...
North Macedonia: preparation-for-release programmes are a cornerstone for successful rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners
A Working Group (WG) composed of representatives of the North Macedonian Directorate for Execution of Criminal Sanctions and prison professionals from four prison establishments (Idrizovo, Štip, Skopje and Kumanovo) discussed issues related to successful disengagement, rehabilitation and...
Training programme on discipline and rewards for prison staff in Türkiye is being developed
Following the first working group (WG) meeting on training in November 2023, the second meeting was organised in Antalya on 26-27 February 2024 to draft the training programme for prison staff. The meeting brought together 20 specialists including representatives from the Directorate General for...
Kosovo* mental healthcare authorities receive new Standard Operating Procedures
The Council of Europe continues to play a proactive role in promoting its values and standards and ensuring adherence to, and protection of, human rights of prisoners and persons in closed institutions at the highest level. It is in this context that, on 23 February 2024, the Special Institution...
Advancing criminal justice: exploring alternative measures to detention in Armenia
An event of 27 February 2024 on alternative measures to detention in Yerevan marks a significant step towards addressing pressing issues in the criminal justice system of Armenia. The meeting, which brought together key stakeholders including representatives from the Ministry of Justice,...
Second group of prison staff successfully completed training on management of violent extremist prisoners
The second group of prison staff from Bosnia and Herzegovina, coming from multidisciplinary teams working directly with violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) or inmates at risk of becoming radicalised, have completed all six modules of the new specialised in-house training programme, facilitated by...
Boosting probation staff performance: innovating evaluation and monitoring discussed at working group meeting
The 2nd working group meeting on 16 February 2024 in Yerevan, Armenia of representatives from the Council of Europe, the Ministry of Justice, and the Probation Service in Armenia, discussed the ways of enhancing probation staff evaluation methods. Highlighting a shared commitment to aligning...
North Macedonia’s External Oversight Mechanism stakeholders trained on effective investigations and reviewed their performance, five years after establishment
A total of 22 participants from the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organized Crime and Corruption, the Unit for Internal Control, Criminalistic Investigations and Professional Standards of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ombudsman’s Office, and three civil society...
Call for candidates for a secondment in the field of Police
The Co-operation in Police and Deprivation of Liberty Division is looking for a candidate elligible for a secondment to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (France). Job: Programme Manager in the field of Police Deadline for applying; 15 March 2024 For more information and for sending your...
2024/AO/08 - Local Consultancy Services in the Areas of Police and Law Enforcement in Georgia
Within the framework of the Project “Enhancing Human Rights Compliant Approach in Law Enforcement Institutions in Georgia” the Council of Europe is launching a call for the provision of local consultancy services on policing democratic freedoms, police monitoring and oversight, torture and...
2024/AO/09 - Local Consultancy Services in the Area of Penitentiary System in Georgia
Within the framework of the Project “Support to Penitentiary System Reforms in Georgia” the Council of Europe is launching a call for the provision of local consultancy services in the area of healthcare and rehabilitation in the penitentiary and probation system, with special focus on prison...
Quality preparation for release of VEPs is of key importance for security and safety in society
Preparation for release of violent extremist prisoners (VEPs), marginalised and vulnerable prisoners is of key importance for their resocialisation and the prevention of recidivism once released. This was unanimously acknowledged by the Montenegrin prison practitioners who took part in the 1st...
Skill-based trainings on suicide prevention guidelines for Armenian prison leadership
In an effort to enhance suicide prevention capabilities within Armenian penitentiary institutions, the Council of Europe (CoE) conducted comprehensive training sessions on the guidelines for suicide intervention plans on 30 and 31 January 2024 in Yerevan. The initiative aimed to equip Heads,...
Albania’s high-level officials discussed the necessary interventions following the latest report of the Council of Europe Committee against Torture
Deputy Ministers of Justice and Health and Social Protection, high level prison management and representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Ombudsman, alongside with representatives of the civil society, the Council of Europe Co-operation in police and deprivation of liberty Division (CPDL),...
Healthcare and correctional staff trained on application of occupational therapy in prisons and other closed institutions
A 3-day Training of Trainers (ToT) on the application of Occupational Therapy (OT) in prisons and other closed institutions took place from 22 to 24 January in Istog/Istok, in the vicinity of the largest newly developed modern healthcare institution of Dubrava prison in Kosovo.* The ToT followed...
Ceramic workshop donations enhance rehabilitation in Georgia's penitentiary system
In a significant step towards supporting rehabilitation of prisoners, three penitentiary institutions in Georgia have decided to open ceramic workshops. The Council of Europe supported this initiative by providing the necessary equipment. The juvenile inmates in Penitentiary Institution #8, as...
Meeting in Ankara to finalise legal amendments on disciplinary sanctions and reward practices for prisoners
As the final of several working group meetings on drafting amendments to legislation regulating disciplinary sanctions and reward practices for prisoners in Türkiye, a round table meeting was held in Ankara on 18 and 19 January 2024. The aim of the event was to present the amendments and receive...
Development of a Policy paper on Discipline and Rewards mechanism in Türkiye
The second two-day working group meeting on the development of a policy paper concerning a Discipline and Rewards mechanism was held in Antalya from 15 to 16 January 2024. The focus of the meeting was the development of a comprehensive document aimed at effectively implementing discipline and...
Call for proposals on award of a grant to implement a series of activities on establishing inter-agency coordination platforms
The Council of Europe is launching a call for proposals on award of a grant to implement a series of activities on establishing inter-agency coordination platforms within the framework of the Project “Ensuring Sustainable Penitentiary Actions in managing rehabilitation of violent extremist...
Suicide prevention among different populations: improving inter-agency cooperation in Georgia
An Inter-Agency Roundtable on Suicide Prevention among high-risk population groups took place in Tbilisi on 20 December 2023. Over 40 representatives from various national agencies, including the Ministry of Justice (Special Penitentiary Service, National Probation Agency, Juvenile Referral...
Council of Europe hands over IT equipment to State Department for Execution of Criminal Sanctions of Ukraine
On 12 December 2023, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine Maciej Janczak met Serhiy Hrechaniuk, Head of the State Department for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions of Ukraine, to hand over computer equipment. The purchase of 40 sets of IT equipment (including personal computers,...
Trainers trained on implementation of the Rehabilitation programme for prisoners with substance abuse in Ukraine
On December 13, 2023, a three-day training for trainers on implementing a rehabilitation programme for prisoners who use psychoactive substances ended in Lviv, Ukraine. The goal of the rehabilitation programme is to support prisoners in developing skills that will allow them to overcome a desire...
Senior management of Ukraine’s penitentiary system visits Council of Europe headquarters
On 11-12 December 2023, a delegation of officials in charge of Ukraine’s penitentiary system, led by Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Vysotska, participated in a study visit to the Council of Europe. The programme of the two-day visit included closing the joint EU and Council of Europe Project...
Children’s corner and bakery oven inaugurated in Kumanovo Prison with EU and Council of Europe support
The 220 inmates of the Kumanovo Prison will benefit from the new bakery oven, and some 90 children will be able to use the children’s corner when visiting their parents and family members. The bakery equipment and the children’s corner, with a total value of more than €17,000 were provided under...
First group of prison staff successfully completed specialised training on violent extremism and radicalisation
Sixteen prison staff from Bosnia and Herzegovina, coming from multidisciplinary teams working directly with violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) or inmates at risk of becoming radicalised, have completed all six modules of the new specialised in-house training programme for prison staff,...
Purchase of consultancy services in the area of prison heath care including the mental health care in Romania
The Council of Europe is launching a call for the provision of local consultancy services in the area health care and mental health care in prisons within the framework of the Project “Further Strengthening the provision of health care and mental health care in prisons and other closed...
Council of Europe assists Kosovo Correctional Services (KCS) in developing tools to identify suicide risks among prisoners
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,...
Execution of criminal sanctions: refocus from punitive to rehabilitative approach
On 28 and 29 November, the Cooperation in Police and Deprivation of Liberty Division held a multilateral meeting for prison and probation practitioners from the Council of Europe member states, that - traditionally - provided a forum for discussion and exchange of experience on a topic of broad...
Second joint Steering Committee Meeting of Armenian projects
Building on the Council of Europe's commitment to protecting human rights in Armenia, the projects "Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons in Detention" and "Strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia" set the agenda for first half of 2024. At their joint Steering Committee...
Round-table discussion: collaborative solutions for effective offender rehabilitation
Representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Penitentiary Service, Ombudsperson, and civil society gathered in Yerevan on the 5 December 2023, for a round-table discussion on resocialisation needs of persons deprived of liberty. The event aimed to address the crucial issue of helping offenders to...
Officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia explore Portuguese best practices on police training
On 21-23 November 2023, officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and its Academy visited the facilities of Portugal's police training department. The National Direction of Police in Lisbon and Higher Institute of Police Sciences and Internal Security (ISCPSI) superior school,...
Good coordination is essential for success of joint efforts to prevent and address radicalisation and violent extremism
Beneficiaries in the Western Balkans (WB) coming from the ministries of justice, prison and probation system and prevention and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) coordinators reiterated their commitment to strengthen safety and security in the WB region, looked back at the accomplishments of...
Synergies and complementarity are vital for efficient prevention and countering radicalisation and violent extremism in Western Balkans
The importance of cohesive and collaborative approach of the different donor initiatives in the Western Balkans (WB) region in the field of prevention and countering of violent extremism (P/CVE) has been just one among many conclusions of the closing conference of Holistic Radicalisation...
Application of new remedy for conditions of detention examined in Greece
Following the amendment of the Penitentiary Code of Greece in 2022, prisoners now have the right to complain before courts about the conditions of their detention in prison and to request improvement of the material conditions as well as compensation. A meeting held on 27 November in Athens,...
New programme for reducing violent behaviour of probationers in the Republic of Moldova
14 representatives from the National Probation Inspectorate (NPI) and 10 territorial Probation Offices of the Republic of Moldova participated in the final Working Group meeting in Chisinau on 27-28 November 2023, to agree on the final structure and content of a new probation programme focused on...
Successful cooperation with Romanian authorities to be continued
On 28 November 2023 in Bucharest, Romanian partners together with the Council of Europe marked the successful completion of the Project “Strengthening the provision of health care and mental health care in prisons in Romania” and announced its continuation. The Project was launched in January...
ESPA-VEP Project continues to support the set-up of prison intelligence mechanism in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The second working group (WG) session on prison intelligence mechanism (PIU) manual and training programme, gathering representatives of entity Ministries of Justice, Bijeljina, Mostar, Tuzla, Banja Luka and Zenica prisons, as well as the State prison, took place on 27-28 November in Brcko. The...
Penitentiary institutions of Armenia prepared for piloting resocialisation risk and needs assessment tool: training sessions for staff
From 22 to 25 November 2023, 36 prison personnel of Armenian Penitentiary institutions gathered in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia for intensive training sessions on the new resocialisation Risk and Needs Assessment (RNA) tool for convicts that they will later pilot. The training aimed to equip the staff...
Study visit of Moldovan delegation to Prison Service and Probation and Mediation Service of the Czech Republic
16 representatives of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the National Administration of Penitentiaries (NAP) and the National Probation Inspectorate (NPI) of the Republic of Moldova learned best practices from their peers from the Czech Prison and Probation and Mediation Services during a study...
Montenegrin national institutions send a strong message of zero tolerance of all forms of ill-treatment and impunity
A roundtable convened in Budva on 22-23 November gathered key investigating bodies in Montenegro to identify systemic shortcomings and jointly explore optimal solutions for the prevention of ill-treatment and combating impunity. The event was inaugurated by the heads of the State Prosecutor's...
A study visit for Armenian delegation: exploring telemedicine innovations in French prisons
A delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Justice and comprising officials from Armenia's Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health and the Prison Medicine Centre sought to gain insights into the well-established telemedicine infrastructure and a comprehensive legal framework governing the prison...
Rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners: practitioners from Western Balkans learn from experience of Bosnia and Herzegovina
On 14 and 15 November 2023, representatives of the ministries of justice and prison administrations of Albania, Kosovo,* Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia visited the High Security State Prison and the Municipality Jajce Centre for Social Welfare in Bosnia and Herzegovina to exchange good...
Legislative amendment proposal on disciplinary and reward measures for prisoners in Türkiye is reaching final stage
The third working group (WG) meeting, aimed at reviewing and drafting amendments to the legislation on disciplinary sanctions and reward procedures for prisoners in Türkiye was held in Ankara on 15 November 2023. Opening the meeting Mr Fatih Güngör, Deputy Director General of the Prisons and...
Training curriculum for personnel in discipline and reward system in Türkiye is being developed
Following a preparatory meeting held in Ankara on 7-8 September 2023 to discuss and address the training needs of the personnel working in the country's penal institutions, the first working group meeting to develop training curricula was held in Ankara on 13-14 November 2023. The members of the...
Topical issues of interagency cooperation discussed by stakeholders
A wide group of relevant state agencies and organisations engaged in a workshop dedicated to interagency and interdisciplinary cooperation of Armenia's Probation Service with other stakeholders aimed at boosting collaboration and knowledge exchange. The event, held on 10 November 2023 in Yerevan,...
Penitentiary and probation staff gain knowledge on revised Risk and Needs Assessment Tool before piloting
In a notable step forward within the "Strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia" project, probation and penitentiary officers participated in a joint, intensive skill-based training on the revised Risk and Needs Assessment (RNA) tool from 8 to 10 November 2023 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia. The...
High-level expert roundtable on involvement of convicts in labour
On 9 November 2023, a high-level expert roundtable was held in Lviv to discuss the issues of involvement of convicts in labour, as well as to present a draft Law of Ukraine “On amending certain legislative acts of Ukraine (regarding the peculiarities of involving convicts in labour, and economic...
Kosovo* Correctional Services finalize Strategic Development Plan 2023-2027
After a period of intensive and dedicated work of all relevant stakeholders, the Kosovo* Correctional Services (KCS) finalized the Strategic Development Plan 2023-2027. The Council of Europe contributed to the process by conducting an in-depth expert analysis of the initial draft of the Plan,...
Charting a path to human-centred and technology-driven prison healthcare system in Armenia: workshop on telemedicine and electronic medical files
On 10 November 2023 a workshop on the use of telemedicine and electronic medical files in the prison healthcare system in Yerevan brought together representatives of the Ministry of Health, Prison Medicine Centre, Human Rights Defender’s Office, Office of the Representative on international legal...
Penitentiary Reform in Ukraine in light of the Council of Europe standards – expert meeting
On 31 October 2023, a high-level expert meeting was held in Kyiv to discuss the state of implementation of the Penitentiary Reform Strategy until 2026 in light of the Council of Europe standards, as well as execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights related to the prison...
Republic of Moldova: New Individual Sentence Planning tools for the prison system
32 representatives from 7 prisons and the National Administration of Penitentiaries (NAP) of the Republic of Moldova participated in the Evaluation Workshop and a consolidation session that took place in Chisinau on 30-31 October 2023, to assess the results of piloting Individual Sentence...
Working group meeting on piloting new risk and needs assessment tool: Enhancing rehabilitation for convicts
The Council of Europe, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Penitentiary Service of Armenia, has introduced a new risk and needs assessment (RNA) tool for convicts during a working group meeting on 6 November 2023 in Yerevan. The RNA tool is designed to identify the unique...
Joint Effort to Improve Penitentiary Mental Healthcare in Georgia
A roundtable meeting on mental healthcare and its monitoring in Georgia's penitentiary system was held on 31 October 2023, with the support and facilitation from the Council of Europe. The event brought together high-profile participants, including members of the Public Defender’s Office, the...
Work on programmes for rehabilitation, reintegration and preparation of violent extremist prisoners for release started in Kosovo*
What are the current disengagement and deradicalization programmes for convicted terrorists in the EU, what methodologies and models of change? What are the relevant Council of Europe standards and recommendations on working with violent extremist offenders (VEOs) vis-à-vis the protection of...
HEALTHCARE AND CORRECTIONAL STAFF TRAINED ON THE UPDATED STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR PROVISION OF HEALTHCARE IN PRISONS
The first of the two identical 3-day Training of Trainers (ToT) sessions for the Prison Healthcare Department (PHD) of the Ministry of Health on the updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for provision of healthcare in prisons took place from 30 October – 1 November in Istog/Istok, Kosovo.*...
Brainstorming on improving performance evaluation of probation staff in Armenia
A Working Group meeting to discuss a transformation of the evaluation system for probation staff was held online on 26 October 2023. This event was attended by 10 individuals, including Armenia's Probation Service senior officials and local and international consultants, and was designed as a...
Council of Europe supports authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina in developing information-sharing protocols on radicalisation
The first working group (WG) session, gathering the representatives of entity Ministries of Justice, Federal Police Administration and Police of Brcko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Centre of Social Welfare from Jajce, Bijeljina and Zenica prisons, and the State prison, took place on 25-27...
Multidisciplinary work to improve treatment of prisoners with mental health problems in Romania
16 representatives from four prisons of Romania representing medical and non-medical personnel successfully completed a training of trainers on managing prisoners with mental health on 17-19 October 2023 in Bucharest, Romania. The aim of the training was to equip multidisciplinary teams with the...
Successful cooperation with Slovenian Prison Administration to conclude in December 2023
On 17 October a final major conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, anticipated the completion of the joint Council of Europe/European Union project which supports the Slovenian Prison Administration in improving the juvenile justice system and strengthening the education and training of penitentiary...
Healthcare in prisons discussed at high-level meeting with North Macedonia’s Ministers of Health and Justice
The provision of healthcare in North-Macedonian prisons was discussed at a high-level meeting in Skopje, attended by the Minister of Health, Deputy Minister of Justice, Director of the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions, two prison governors (Idrizovo and Skopje), senior representatives...
Strengthening Georgian Expertise: Ministry of Justice General Inspection Staff Trained on Effective Investigation of Torture
The General Inspection staff of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia successfully completed a two-day training session on effective investigation of torture held on 14-15 October in Kakheti region, Georgia. The primary objective of the training was to increase the participants’ capability to...
Human rights training for trainers and newly recruited prison staff in Slovenia
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...
Mental health is a universal human right: Armenian penitentiary system commemorates World Mental Health Day
On 9 October 2023, the Abovyan penitentiary institution in Armenia hosted an awareness-raising session to mark World Mental Health Day, drawing attention to the significance of mental well-being within the prison system. This event marked a step towards acknowledging challenges to and supporting...
Healthcare professionals from Kosovo* explore Finnish best practices on occupational therapy for prisoners with mental disorders
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...
Georgia’s penitentiary professionals improve skills in managing personality disorders.
In a significant step toward improving mental healthcare within Georgia's penitentiary system, a two-day training programme on "Identification and Primary Management of Personality Disorders in Penitentiary System" was conducted on 2-5 October 2023 in Telavi, Georgia. The training programme,...
North Macedonia’s penitentiary staff drafted a Training Strategy and Programme, group of domestic trainers trained on presentation skills
The final draft of Prison Staff Training Strategy and a relevant Programme were designed by a group of experienced staff from the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions (DES), probation offices, and various prisons of North Macedonia. Meeting on 27 September 2023, they focused on reviewing...
Steering Committee meeting confirms need for legislative changes on disciplinary and reward procedures in prisons in Türkiye
The 2nd Steering Committee for the project "Enhancing the Disciplinary and Reward Procedures for Prisoners in Türkiye” convened on 20 September 2023 in Ankara with high-level participants from the stakeholders, including the Director General of Prisons and Detention Houses. Representatives of the...
Georgia: Special Investigation Service discusses strategy and action plan with civil society and Public Defender’s Office
The Special Investigation Service of Georgia (SIS) increased the transparency of its work and public accountability by engaging in dialogue with the civil society and involving it in the decision-making. On 18 September 2023, the SIS presented its draft Strategy and the Action Plan to...
Inter-Institutional coordination meeting with law enforcement agencies
A coordination meeting between the state and entity Ministries of Justice, Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Ministry of Internal Affairs of Brcko District, State Investigation and Protection Agency, the Intelligence-Security Agency of BiH and prisons in Bijeljina, Mostar,...
Joint trainings for psychologists and psychiatrists of Armenian penitentiary institutions
In an effort to support Armenia in strengthening mental health care in penitentiary institutions, a series of specialised training sessions were organised on 25-26 and 29-30 August 2023. Over 20 psychologists and psychiatrists representing the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health...
Council of Europe supports the Ministry of Justice of Kosovo with the development of the Correctional Strategy 2023-2027
On 3-4 August, a 2-day Workshop was held in Pristina, Kosovo*, under the auspices of the Council of Europe project "Improvement of the Treatment of Persons Deprived of Liberty." The workshop's primary focus was on the development of the Kosovo Correctional Service (KCS) Strategy for the period...
Special Investigation Service of Georgia meets the local population in the regions
With the support of the Council of Europe, the Special Investigation Service (SIS) conducted eight informative meetings with the local population and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in four regions of Georgia. These meetings were organized on 13th and 14th July, and between 27th July and 1st...
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia: Trainers enhance skills to deliver training on interviewing juveniles
On 17-21 July, twenty investigators and psychologists of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) completed the first round of training of trainers (ToT) on interviewing juvenile victims and offenders. As a result, the participants have improved their capacity to train their peers in interviewing...
Council of Europe assists the local authorities with the development of occupational therapy for prisoners with mental health issues
On 11-13 July 2023, a working group (WG) meeting on the development of a specific set of occupational therapy guidelines for the Prison Health Department (PHD) of the Ministry of Health of Kosovo, in line with Council of Europe and CPT requirements, was organized in Istog/Istok, Kosovo*. The WG...
Georgia meets Denmark to improve monitoring of places of detention
On 26-29 June 2023, 10 representatives of the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia (PDO), including the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), and of the Georgian Ministry of Justice (in particular the General Inspection Division and Monitoring Department of the Special Penitentiary Service) carried...
Exploring innovative ways to attract new staff for Slovenian Prison Administration
Identifying and recruiting prison staff remains a major challenge for all prison administrations across Council of Europe Members states, especially in the post-pandemic period. To address the lack of job applicants in Slovenia, the Council of Europe helped the national Prison Administration...
New Risk and Needs Assessment tool tested and finalized in Slovenia
In July 2023 the Council of Europe and the Slovenian Prison Administration finalized the development of a new Risk and Needs Assessment tool that will be used to determine the level of risk and classification of each prisoner. The same tool will help prison staff identify needs the of detained...
New General Cognitive Behavioural Treatment Programme and Specialised Module for treatment of prisoners serving long-term sentences in Moldova
20 representatives from 6 prisons and the National Administration of Penitentiaries (NAP) of the Republic of Moldova participated in the Evaluation Workshop on piloting the General Cognitive Behavioural Treatment (CBT) Programme in selected prisons. The Workshop took place in Chisinau on 26 June...