Strenghtening prison health care in Greece

The project supports the Greek authorities’ efforts to develop policies and adopt measures in the area of provision of health care and overcrowding in prisons. Council of Europe expertise will address the shortcomings identified by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) and will enhance the execution of European Court of Human Rights judgments.

Prison healthcare system in Greece is currently in transition. Ministry of Citizens Protection remains in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the competent authorities of Primary Health Care following the strategic decision to gradually incorporate prison health care in the public health care.

The project is in line with the Strategic Plan for Crime Prevention Policy 2018-2020, Strategic Objective 6: Health services in prisons and Strategic objective 3: Reducing overcrowding in collaboration with the MoH. CoE has provided expertise for the development of the Strategic Plan and is following its implementation. The project will directly support the implementation of the Strategic Plan, being the first consistent and coherent effort to set the goals and define the strategy and basic principles of the penitentiary policy in Greece.

The Action started on 1 June 2019 and will be completed on 31 May 2021 with an overall budget of 600.000 Euros financed by the Council of Europe Human Rights Trust Fund.

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PROJECT NEWS

Back Training of Trainers on mental health care

@ Council of Europe

To support prison healthcare staff in addressing mental health needs of prisoners in Greece, a 3-day Training of Trainers (ToT) was organized from 29 to 31 March 2021.

Ten prison psychologists were trained on the training curriculum for penitentiary scientific staff developed within the Project in 2020. Based on this curriculum the trainees enhanced their knowledge on the most common mental health care issues such as medical screening, self-care/self-management, and preparation for release. The aim of the ToT and the curricula is to establish a pool of trainers who will cascade their knowledge and skills to their peers, psychologists, doctors, nurses, and social workers and as result improve their ability to identify and assist prisoners with mental health problems. This training complements the Manual on Suicide Prevention and Self-Harm prepared also within the on-going Project.

The ToT served as well as a forum for exchange of experiences among the trainees that further contributed to identifying challenges and sharing of good practices.

The Training has been organized within the project “Strengthening prison health care in Greece“, funded by the Council of Europe Human Rights Trust Fund and implemented by the Criminal Law Cooperation Unit, Council of Europe .

Greece 6 April 2021