SPERU - Further Support to the Penitentiary Reform in Ukraine

This project was co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in co-operation with the main partners, namely the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the State Executive Service and its interregional branches, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Supreme Court of Ukraine, the General Prosecutor Office, the Ombudsmen Office and Civil Society organisations and other relevant national stakeholders interested in penitentiary reform in Ukraine.

Thanks to this project, Ukrainian authorities have been assisted in the promotion of Human rights in the management of prisons as well as in the further development of a rehabilitative approach to offenders in line with the Council of Europe standards, in particular those of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture an Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), and taking into account the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights.

The Joint Programme (JP) SPERU achieved the following outcomes:

enhancement of Justice system actors’ awareness to proceed with the penitentiary reform based on the Council of Europe standards
partnerships between the justice system, community services and civil society are facilitated to enhance resocialization and reintegration of prisoners
justice system capacity is enhanced to develop and implement healthcare strategy in prisons

Further support to the reforms in the field of prison and the protection of prisoners’ rights is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2021.

The project implementation started in July 2019 and ended bewteen October 2021 and April 2022.

Project documentation

Useful information

PROJECT NEWS

Back New penitentiary inspection standards for the Ukrainian prisons

@ Council of Europe

The Council of Europe continues supporting the Ukrainian prison system by aligning its legislative and regulatory framework with European standards.

On 23 April 2021, a first Working group meeting was held focusing on reviewing and updating the existing penitentiary inspection standards, in particular, on adjusting them to contemporary prison management approaches, improving the role of the MoJ Department of the Penitentiary Inspections and integrating the results of the penitentiary inspections into the decision-making process at the senior managerial level.

Representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Department of Penitentiary Inspections and European Integration Directorate, a Council of Europe international consultant as well as representatives of the EU and the CoE Secretariat participated in this meeting.

Based on the outcome of this first meeting, an assessment report with recommendations for improvement will be prepared, paving the way for further discussion at the second working group meeting.

This activity is organised within the framework of the EU and Council of Europe Joint Project "Support to Prison Reform in Ukraine - SPERU", which is designed to promote human rights compliant management of prisons, including better alignment of prison healthcare provisions with European standards.

Ukraine 26 April 2021