Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova
The Programme ”Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova” is in line with the strategic priorities for cooperation as formulated in the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2017-2020, and is funded by the Norwegian government.
It is aimed to ensure a higher respect for human rights and the rule of law by assisting the national authorities in building up an efficiently functioning criminal justice system, in line with European human rights standards, and based on the principles of humanisation, resocialisation and restorative justice.
Main intervention areas will cover policy/legal framework, institutional and practical implementation levels, with the focus on:
- Consolidation of criminal justice policy, legislation and judiciary practice in line with international standards with respect to the liberalization of criminal proceedings, including strengthening the application of non-custodial pre-trial preventive measures and sanctions, alternative sanctions in criminal cases, improvement of probation services and release on parole mechanisms
- Better treatment and resocialisation of inmates by improving the regulatory and policy framework as well as prison staff capacities relevant to regime arrangements and management of prisons, implementation of treatment programmes and provision of health care services for inmates;
- Support towards the development of the capacities of criminal justice stakeholders in the light of the implementation of the on-going reforms, including judiciary, prosecution service, as well as Ombudsperson’s institution and National Prevention Mechanism (NPM).
The Programme is expected to be implemented in 36 months (as of 1 March 2018).
Project documentation
- Work plan (January - February 2021)
- Work plan (October - December 2020)
- Work plan (July - September 2020)
- Work plan (January - June 2020)
- Work plan (October - December 2019)
- Work plan (July - September 2019)
- Work plan (April - June 2019)
- Work plan (January - March 2019)
- Work plan (October - December 2018)
- Work plan (July - September 2018)
- Work plan (April - June 2018)
Useful information
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...
Republic of Moldova: new initial training programme for probation counsellors launched in pilot session
23 newly recruited probation counsellors from 16 Territorial Probation Offices of the Republic of Moldova enhanced knowledge and understanding of their duties in a 4-day initial training session delivered as a pilot by a team of trainers from the National Probation Inspectorate (NPI). The pilot...
Council of Europe supports prison and probation reform and improvement of health care in closed institutions in Moldova – 5th Steering Committee meeting
23 June 2023 – The fifth 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 online. Representatives of the Ministries of...
The Governors of the Prison System of the Republic of Moldova Enhanced their Skills in Leadership and Management
The governors of all prison institutions of the Republic of Moldova and representatives of the National Administration of Penitentiaries enhanced their knowledge and skills in Leadership and Management over a 3-day training session held in Chisinau, on 20-22 March 2023. The Minister of Justice of...
The National Probation Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova ready to deliver the new Induction Training Programme for the probation counsellors
A team of 12 probation counsellors from the National Probation Inspectorate (NPI) of the Republic of Moldova was trained on 5-8 December 2022 to deliver an Induction Training Curriculum and Programme on probation tasks developed with Council of Europe’s support. During the 4-day Training of...
Council of Europe continuing support to the prison and probation reforms, and the health care in closed institutions in Moldova - third Steering Committee Meeting
21 June 2022, Chisinau – The third 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. Attended by members and...
Workshop on the results of piloting the draft Risks and Needs Assessment tool for prisoners and offenders in the community
The results of the piloting the draft Risks and Needs Assessment (RNA) tool for prisoners and offenders in the community were presented during a final evaluation workshop. All probation offices and prisons who tested the draft RNA tool in their daily work during a six-months period expressed...
Second Meeting of the Working Group for the development of Policies and Standard Operational Procedures for the prison system of the Republic of Moldova
The second meeting of the working group (WG) for the development of policies and standard operational procedures (SOPs) focused on four thematic areas - dynamic security, treatment of vulnerable groups of detainees, preventing and combating inter-prisoner violence (for prison frontline staff),...
First Meeting of the Working Group for the development of a training module for the prison staff working with young offenders
The first meeting of the working group for the development of a training Module for the prison staff working with young offenders - was conducted online on 17-18 November 2021. The meeting resulted in a clear plan of distribution of tasks and deadlines among the members of the working group. At...
Workshop on results of piloting of the reorganisation of tasks in three prisons in the Republic of Moldova
The results of the pilot initiative for the reorganization of tasks with a focus on dynamic security and social reintegration of inmates in three prisons – Prison no. 7 - Rusca (women), Prison no. 10 - Goian (juveniles) and Prison 1 - Taraclia (male adults) – were evaluated during the final...
Professional development course for medical and non-medical staff of the penitentiary system of the Republic of Moldova
A fourteen-weeks’ professional development course for medical and non-medical staff of the prison system of the Republic of Moldova has started on 19 July and finished on 27 October 2021, when, as a result of the course, an overall number of 121 accreditations were issued to medical and...
Consultation meeting on the progress in piloting the Risks and Needs Assessment Tool in selected prisons and probation offices
The first consultation meeting on the progress in piloting the Risks and Needs Assessment (RNA) Tool for prisoners and offenders ARIC (Assessment of Reintegration, Intervention and Conclusion) in 4 selected prisons and 4 probation offices was conducted online on 04-05 October 2021. The activity...
Progress assessment on management reorganisation in three pilot prisons in Moldova
A progress assessment of the piloting of a revised management of tasks with the focus on resocialization of inmates and dynamic security in three prisons - Prison no. 7 - Rusca (women), Prison no. 10 - Goian (juveniles) and Prison no. 1 - Taraclia (male adults) - was conducted online noted a good...
Council of Europe launches two Projects in the Republic of Moldova to continue supporting reforms in the criminal justice sector
Two Council of Europe Projects are presented today to the main beneficiary institutions in the Republic of Moldova: “Strengthening the prison and probation reforms, provision of health care and the treatment of patients in closed institutions in the Republic of Moldova” with the duration of 36...
Criminal justice system: conclusions of a three-year Council of Europe Programme
17 February 2021, CHISINAU – A high level conference today concluded the 36 months’ Programme “Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova” (2018 -2021), which formed part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the country (2017-2020), implemented by...
Final Evaluation Workshop on Progress of the Implementation of Action Plans in three pilot prisons in Moldova
The Final Evaluation Workshop to assess the progress achieved in three pilot prisons on the implementation of Action Plans aimed at reorganising the management (prison no. 7-Rusca - women, no. 10-Goian - young offenders, and prison no. 1-Taraclia - male prisoners) was conducted online on 11...
Workshop on the feasibility study for the creation of daily centres for the reintegration of probation beneficiaries
A two-day workshop on the feasibility study for the creation of daily centres for the reintegration of probation beneficiaries was conducted online on 14 – 15 December 2020. As a result of the workshop, key aspects related to the possibility of creating daily centres as a format of probation...
Professional development course for doctors and nurses of the prison system
A nine-week professional development course for the doctors and nurses of the prison system of the Republic of Moldova has started online on 19 October and will finish on 23 December 2020. As a result of the course, an overall number of 80 medical doctors and nurses of the prison system will...
Second Workshop on Progress of the Implementation of Action Plans on reorganised prison management in three pilot prisons in Moldova
The second workshop to assess the progress achieved in the implementation of Action Plans aimed at reorganising the management of three pilot prisons [Prison no. 7-Rusca (for women), no. 10-Goian (for young offenders) and Prison no. 1-Taraclia (for males)] was conducted online on 17 to 19...
Training sessions in Moldova on Health Assessment upon Admission to Prison and Managing Individual Medical Files
As a result of two 3-day training sessions on health assessment upon admission to prison, and on managing individual medical files for healthcare professionals of the penitentiary system of the Republic of Moldova, thirty-five medical professionals – medical doctors, nurses and psychologists from...
Training of Trainers on Motivational Interviewing for Probation Councillors in Republic of Moldova
Two Training of Trainers (ToTs) sessions on motivational interviewing for councillors of the National Probation Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova were conducted online during 26-28 October and 2-3 November 2020. As a result of the ToTs, ten probation councillors, are now available in a pool...
Council of Europe donated modern medical equipment and devices to the penitentiary system of the Republic of Moldova
On 29 October, William Massolin, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, Fadei Nagacevschii, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova and Vladimir Cojocaru, Director ad interim of the National Administration of Penitentiaries of the Republic of Moldova attended a ceremony to...
Draft Code of Medical Ethics for the prison system of the Republic of Moldova finalised
A final draft of the Code of Medical Ethics for the prison system of the Republic of Moldova (the Code) is finalised. The Code provides a common ethical framework intended to establish standards of ethical practice that can be interpreted and applied in particular situations, to guide physicians...
Consultation Meeting on the Development of a Prison Management Manual
A consultation meeting on the development of a Prison Management Manual and the learning support material was conducted online on 28 September 2020. As a result of the meeting, the participants agreed on the content and format of the Prison Management Manual and developed its key elements, such...
Workshop on progress of the implementation of Action Plans in prisons of the Republic of Moldova
An assessment of the progress achieved in the implementation of Action Plans aimed at reorganising Prison no. 7-Rusca (for women), no. 10-Goian (for young offenders) and Prison nr. 1-Taraclia (for males) was conducted online from 23 to 25 September 2020 in a form of workshop. The Action Plans...
Final Meeting of the Working Group for the Development of the General Rehabilitation Programme and Specialised Module
The 2nd and last session of the Working group (WG) for the Development of the General Rehabilitation Programme and Specialised Module was conducted online on 17-18 September 2020. The Specialised Module designed for prisoners serving long or life sentences is now fully developed. To address the...
2nd Meeting of the Working Group for the development of Strategy and Plan of Action for Reducing and Preventing inter-prisoner violence within the prison system
The 2nd meeting of the Working group (WG) for the development of Strategy and Plan of Action for reducing and preventing inter-prisoner violence within the prison system was conducted online on 15-16 September 2020. The WG meeting, held in the form of thematic discussions, resulted with the...
Final Meeting of the Working Group for the Development of the Mental Health Care Strategy for the Penitentiary System of the Republic of Moldova
The 3rd and last meeting of the Working group for the Development of the Mental Health Care Strategy for the Penitentiary System of the Republic of Moldova with Action Plan, including the Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention Policy was conducted online on 10-11 September 2020. The meeting resulted in...
Working Group for the development of the Code of Ethics for the medical staff in prisons
The 1st meeting of the Working Group (WG) for the development of the Code of Ethics for the medical staff in prisons in the Republic of Moldova was conducted on 3-4 August 2020. As a result of this meeting, WG members discussed national and international standards relevant to medical ethics in...
2nd coordination meeting: revision of the Methodology on the organisation of professional training of the prison system employees
A second coordination meeting on the revision of the Methodology on the organisation and delivery of professional training of the prison system employees was held on 29 July 2020. The meeting was focused on the revision of the key elements of the Methodology: induction training process,...
Presentation of Action Plans aimed at reorganising 3 prisons: nr. 7-Rusca for women, no. 10-Goian for young offenders and nr. 1-Taraclia for males
A Workshop on Action Plans aimed at reorganising the prisons with focus on dynamic security and reintegration of inmates of Prison nr. 7-Rusca (for women), Prison no. 10-Goian (for young offenders) and Prison nr. 1-Taraclia (for males) was conducted on 27 July 2020. The workshop is a follow-up to...
Development of a General Rehabilitation Programme and Specialised Module in Moldova
The 1st session of the Working Group (WG) for the Development of a General Rehabilitation Programme and Specialised Module was conducted online on 23 and 25 June 2020. As a result, the WG members fully developed the key elements and goals of the General Rehabilitation Programme and agreed on the...
Development of the Mental Health Care Strategy for the Penitentiary System of the Republic of Moldova with Action Plan
The 2nd meeting of a Working group (WG) for the Development of Mental Health Care Strategy for the Penitentiary System of the Republic of Moldova with Action Plan, including the Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention Policy was conducted online on 15-16 June 2020. The meeting resulted in fully...
Coordination meeting on the revision of the Methodology on the organisation and delivery of professional training of the prison system employees
A coordination meeting on the revision of the Methodology on the organisation and delivery of professional training of the prison system employees was held on 11 June 2020 online. The meeting resulted in adjusting the Methodology, drafted by National Administration of Penitentiary (NAP) in 2006,...
Training simulation session on the revised Curriculum for the initial training of prison staff
The training simulation session on the revised Curriculum for the initial training of prison staff of the Republic of Moldova was conducted online from 02 to 05 June 2020 in cooperation with the National Administration of Penitentiaries (NAP) of Moldova, and with participants and consultants...
The 1st Online Meeting of the Working Group for the Development of the Mental Health Care Strategy for the Penitentiary System
The 1st meeting of the Working group for the Development of the Mental Health Care Strategy for the Penitentiary System of the Republic of Moldova with Action Plan, including the Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention Policy (herewith the Strategy) was conducted online on 04-05 May 2020. The key...
Protective materials and consumables for prisons
On 2 April 2020, the Council of Europe donated the first batch of protective materials and consumables to the National Administration of Penitentiaries of the Republic of Moldova aiming to support the institution’s preparedness to respond to the pandemic of the Covid-19. The donation consists of...
Evaluation Workshop on Piloting the Curriculum for Probation Councillors in Drafting Pre-sentence Reports
The results of piloting the Curriculum on training of probation councillors on drafting pre-sentence reports were assessed and discussed within an evaluation workshop that took place in Chisinau, on 11-12 December 2019. It was attended by probation officers and facilitated by Council of Europe...
Revised Strategy for Development of Human Resources of the Prison System of the Republic of Moldova
The final session of the Working Group (WG) on revising the Strategy for Development of Human Resources of the Prison System of the Republic of Moldova, which also includes a Staff Performance Management Policy (hereafter “the Strategy”), was held in Chisinau on 18-19 November 2019. on ensuring...
Recommendations for the revision of Law 300/2017 on the prison administration system in the Republic of Moldova
The aim of the revision of Law 300/2017 on prison administration system in the Republic of Moldova was to introduce the purpose of the prison service and its guiding work principles, and to review the criteria for the recruitment, promotion and motivation of the penitentiary system staff. In the...
Second cascade training piloting the training Curriculum for probation councillors on drafting pre-sentence reports in the Republic of Moldova
The second cascade training was held in Chisinau, on 3-4 October 2019, and was conducted by a group of 6 trained probation councillors who in turn trained 15 peers from territorial Probation Offices. The cascade training sessions (three in total) are part of the second phase of piloting the...
Third meeting of the Working Group on revising Law 300/2017 on the prison administration system in the Republic of Moldova
the third meeting of the Working Group (WG), which was held in Chisinau on 23-24 September 2019, the participants further analysed and revised the conceptual changes to the Law. The purpose of the prison service, the criteria for the recruitment, promotion and motivation of the penitentiary...
First cascade training in piloting the training Curriculum for probation councillors
The first cascade training was held in Chisinau, on 12-13 September 2019, further to a Training of Trainers (ToT) session. It was conducted by 5 probation councillors (out of 16 trained during the ToT) to 15 peers from territorial Probation Offices. This cycle consists of three cascade training...
New draft Regulations on the management and circulation of medicines within the prison system in the Republic of Moldova
The last session of the Working Group (WG) on revising and developing a set of regulations on the provision of health care in prisons , held in Chisinau on 5-6 September 2019, resulted in the finalisation of a new draft Regulations on the management and circulation of medicines within the prison...
Piloting the Risk and Needs Assessment Tool on Pre- and Post-Release from Prison in the Republic of Moldova
In the context of continuing assistance to the Moldovan prison and probation systems, on 22-23 August 2019 a two-day induction workshop on piloting the Assessment of Reintegration, Intervention and Conclusion (ARIC) Tool for prisoners took place in Chisinau. The Tool covers pre-release from...
Revising and strengthening the Human Resources Development Strategy of the Prison system of the Republic of Moldova 2017 – 2020
In the context of the assistance provided to the National Administration of Penitentiaries (NAP) of the Republic of Moldova, the first session (out of three) of a Working Group (WG) on revising and strengthening the Human Resources Development Strategy of the Prison system for 2017 – 2020 was...
Training of Trainers based on the Curriculum for the training of probation councillors on drafting presentence reports in the Republic of Moldova
In the context of the assistance provided to the National Inspectorate of Probation (NIP) of the Republic of Moldova, a Training of Trainers (ToT) session for a group of 16 probation councillors was organised in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, on 10-12 July 2019. The ToT constituted the first...
Second meeting of the Working Group on revising Law 300/2017 on the administration of the prison system in the Republic of Moldova
Following the comprehensive analysis of the effects, challenges and best practices in the implementation of Law No.300/2017, during the second meeting of the Working Group which was held in Chisinau, on 4-5 July 2019, participants further debated the conceptual changes to the Law and proceeded...
On-going work on a set of Regulations on the provision of health care in prisons
The 4th meeting of the Working Group (WG) on revising the “Regulation on the provision of health care to persons in detention” and developing the “Regulation on the management and circulation of medicines within the prison system in the Republic of Moldova” was held in Chisinau on 3-5 June 2019....
Revising the Law 300/2017 on the administration of the prison system in the Republic of Moldova
In the context of the assistance provided to the National Administration of Penitentiaries (NAP) of the Republic of Moldova, the first session of a Working Group (WG) on revising the Law No. 300/2017 on the administration of the prison system was held in Chisinau, on 23-24 May 2019. The WG...
Comprehensive analysis in view of the reorganisation of the Probation Service in the Republic of Moldova
The final session of the Working Group (WG) on the reorganisation of the Probation Service was held in Chisinau, on 22-23 April 2019, as part of the Council of Europe support to the National Inspectorate of Probation (NIP) of the Republic of Moldova. The main objective of this WG was to analyse...
Recommendations to amend the Law on Probation of the Republic of Moldova aimed at strengthening the status of the probation staff
In the context of assistance provided to the National Inspectorate of Probation (NIP) of the Republic of Moldova, the final session of the Working Group (WG) on revising the status of the probation staff was held on 18-19 April 2019 in Chisinau. The WG presented to the Ministry of Justice and the...
New curriculum for the training of probation officers on drafting pre-sentence reports in the Republic of Moldova
In the context of the assistance provided to the National Probation Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova, the forth (final) session of the Working Group (WG) on developing the curriculum for the training of probation officers on drafting pre-sentence reports in line with the Council of Europe...
Revised Regulation on releasing seriously ill persons serving prison sentence from the execution of punishment in the Republic of Moldova
The final meeting of the Working Group (WG) on revising the “Regulation on releasing seriously ill persons serving prison sentence from the execution of punishment” was held in Chisinau, on 1-2 April 2019. The meeting was organised as part of the Council of Europe support to the National...
Third Working Group session on revising the status of the probation employee in the Republic of Moldova
In the context of assistance provided to the National Probation Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova, the third session of the Working Group (WG) on revising the status of the probation employee was held on 27-28 March 2019 in Chisinau. During the pre-final meeting, the WG members formulated...
Third session of the Working Group for the revision of the curriculum for the initial training of prison staff in the Republic of Moldova
In the context of continuing assistance to the Moldovan prison system, the third meeting of the Working Group on the revision of the initial training curriculum for prison staff was held on 25-26 March 2019. Following the analysis of the regulatory gaps and the actual needs in the initial...
Third Working Group session on developing the curriculum for the training of probation officers on drafting the presentence reports in the Republic of Moldova
In the context of the assistance provided to the National Probation Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova, the third session of the Working Group (WG) on developing the curriculum for the training of probation officers on drafting the presentence reports in line with the Council of Europe...
Second Working Group session on revising the status of the probation employees in Moldova
In the context of the assistance provided to the National Probation Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova, the second session of the Working Group (WG) on revising the status of the probation employee in line with the Council of Europe standards and best practices in the field, was held in...
Developing the curriculum for the training of probation officers on drafting the presentence reports in the Republic of Moldova
In the context of continuing assistance to the Moldovan authorities, in November 2018 the Council of Europe initiated a series of working groups to support the National Inspectorate of Probation in achieving the specific objectives set in the Strategy for the Development of the Probation System...
Revision and further development of risk and needs assessment tools on pre and post release from prison in the Republic of Moldova
Under the auspices of the Programme “Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova” funded by the Government of Norway, the Council of Europe is assisting the penitentiary and probation authorities in revising and developing the existing system of risk and...
Reorganisation of probation to increase its efficiency in the Republic of Moldova
On 21-22 January 2019 the second meeting of the Working Group (WG) on the reorganisation of probation was held in Chisinau as part of the Council of Europe support to the national authorities of the Republic of Moldova in increasing the efficiency of the probation system. The WG further developed...
Human Rights Experts’ Meeting in the Republic of Moldova
The activities of the Council of Europe Programme “Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova” are continuously coordinated with the actions of the other national and international actors in the criminal justice field. On 17 January 2019 the...
Reorganisation of probation to increase its efficiency in the Republic of Moldova
The Council of Europe is assisting the Moldovan authorities in reorganising probation in line with the European standards and the best practices in the field. During the first meeting of the Working Group (WG) on 17-18 December 2018 the participants analysed the current structure, functions and...
Revising the status of the probation employee in the Republic of Moldova
The Council of Europe is assisting the Moldovan probation system in revising the status of the probation employee in line with the European standards and the best practices in the field. During the first meeting of the Working Group (WG), which took place on 11-12 December 2018, the participants...
Revision of the Regulation on releasing seriously ill prisoners from execution of punishment
The second meeting of the Working Group (WG) on revising and further developing the “Regulation on releasing seriously ill persons serving a prison sentence from execution of punishment” was held in Chisinau, on 26 - 27 November 2018. The meeting was organised as part of the Council of Europe...
Revision of a set of Regulations on the provision of health care in prisons in the Republic of Moldova
The Council of Europe is assisting the National Administration of Penitentiaries of the Republic of Moldova to revise and further develop a set of Regulations in the sector of provision of health care in prisons. During the first meeting of the Working Group (WG), which took place on 12-13...
Revision and further development of risk and needs assessment tools on pre and post release from prison in the Republic of Moldova
The Council of Europe, under the auspices of the programme “Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova”, funded by the Government of Norway and implemented by the Council of Europe, is assisting the penitentiary and probation authorities in the Republic...
Reviewing the curriculum for initial training of prison staff on core competences
The Council of Europe is assisting the Moldovan prison system in revising the initial training system for prison staff on core competences in line with the European standards and the best practices in the penitentiary field. During the first meeting of the Working Group (WG), which took place on...
Consultancy services in the areas of probation and penitentiary, including the provision of health care services for inmates (Moldova)
Call for tenders (2018/AO/49), deadline 31 August 2018
The Council of Europe is currently implementing a Project on “Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova” and is looking for a maximum of 60 Provider(s) for the provision of intellectual services/expert services to be requested by the Council on an as...
Supporting the reforms in the criminal justice field
On 26 April 2018, the Council of Europe (CoE) announced the launching of a new programme, “Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova.” In the framework of continued assistance to the authorities of the Republic of Moldova and with funding from the...
Intro Moldova VC
The Programme ”Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova” is in line with the strategic priorities for cooperation as formulated in the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2017-2020, and is funded by the Norwegian government....
European Prison Rules
CPDL Highlights
