SPPRH - Strengthening the prison and probation reforms, provision of health care and treatment of patients in closed institutions in the Republic of Moldova

The Project “Strengthening the prison and probation reforms, provision of health care and treatment of patients in closed institutions in the Republic of Moldova” (“SPPRH Project”) with the duration of 36 months (March 2021 – February 2024) is funded through and is in line with the strategic priorities for co-operation as formulated in the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2021-2024.

The Project builds on the achievements of the previous Council of Europe Action Plans for the Republic of Moldova, notably, results of the projects implemented between 2015 and 2020, namely, the Programme “Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova” (01 March 2018 – 28 February 2021) and the Project “Support of the Criminal Justice Reforms in the Republic of Moldova” (2015 – 2018). The Project is also focused on further consolidating the achievements of the Norwegian Mission of Rule of Law Advisers to Moldova (NORLAM) activities in country completed in June 2017.

The Project is aimed at supporting the enhancement of the prison management practices, the improvement of the quality of the provision of health care to inmates (including mental health care), supporting the probation in raising its profile, promoting the value of community sanctions and measures among all actors of the criminal justice system and strengthening of treatment programmes and protocols for patients in psychiatric establishments (including forensic patients).

Main intervention areas will cover policy/legal framework, institutional and practical implementation levels, and the expected results of this Project are the following:

Management of prisons is further improved to better support the prisoners’ rehabilitation: integrating modern prison management methodologies and tools, and further increasing the prison staff skills and knowledge on human rights of persons deprived of liberty;
Quality of the provision and organisation of health care services (including mental health care) for inmates are further enhanced in line with European standards: developing specialized tools, policies and improving the material medical conditions in prisons;
Strengthened institutional capacity of Probation Service and multidisciplinary co-operation with other actors through more effective implementation of community sanctions and measures in support of offenders’ social reintegration: strengthening the capacities of Probation to treat medium and high-risk offenders and fine-tuning the inter-institutional cooperation;
Strengthened treatment of patients in psychiatric establishments (including forensic patients) in line with European standards: enhancing the treatment programmes and protocols and improving the knowledge and skills of staff in applying them within multidisciplinary teams.

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Back 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 their satisfaction with the tool and stated that they gained more confidence and skills in evaluating the needs and potential risks of offenders. Participants exchanged best practices on the use of the tool, their views on its applicability at all stages of the sentence execution, as well as discussed common challenges faced during the implementation of the pilot, and solutions for an enhanced cooperation and exchange of information between prisons and probation services.

The pilot initiative was launched by the Council of Europe in July 2021, in four prisons and twelve Probation Offices, with the aim of collecting data to make informed decisions about the applicability of the tool and evidence-based recommendations for a more uniform approach to the offenders’ risk and needs assessment. It aimed also and joining the work of both National Administration of Penitentiaries (NAP) and the National Probation Inspectorate (NPI) in relation to the rehabilitation and reintegration efforts. Further approval of the tool and its application at organisational level by both institutions should lead to a better risk management in both institutions and the individualization of approach to each prisoner and offender. This will facilitate more accurate and responsive decision making towards offenders’ rehabilitation and reintegration interventions.

The activity was attended by the management of the NAP and NPI, staff of prisons and probation officers who participated in piloting of the RNA tool.

The activity was organised online on 15-16 February 2022 within the Project “Strengthening the prison and probation reforms, provision of health care and the treatment of patients in closed institutions in the Republic of Moldova”, financed through the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova (2021-2024) and implemented by the Council of Europe.

Republic of Moldova 28.02.2022