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 Reducing reoffending – online training for the prison staff in Ukraine

@ Council of Europe

The Council of Europe continues supporting the Ukrainian prison system by improving its legislative, regulatory framework and the capacity of prison staff in line with European standards.

From 30 March to 27 May 2021, more than 70 staff from six Ukrainian penitentiary institutions will undergo online training on the application of the Risk and Needs Assessment (RNA) Tool and individual sentence planning. This activity goes in line with the statement of Ms Natalia Rubalka, Deputy Head of the State Department of Execution of Criminal Sanctions of Ukraine, who emphasized the RNA Tool as a priority. The online training will strengthen the staff’s capacity when applying the RNA Tool and develop practical skills on individual sentence planning for sentenced offenders.

This activity is organized 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 6 April 2021