The Council of Europe, in close cooperation with the three Ministries of Justice in BiH and their respective partners from the entity and state penitentiary institutions, organised a coaching session for the members of the prison multidisciplinary teams on the application of the VEP-specific tools and programmes. The coaching session took place on 24 September 2021 in Doboj.

The participants reflected upon the strengths and the challenges of the application of VEP-specific tools and programmes identified during the pilot phase. The main areas of discussion were based on the analysis on the application of the basic screening tool for identification of the signs of radicalisation, cooperation and information exchange between the prison services and application of the VEP-specifics operational procedures. They agreed that based on the findings and the discussion, the VEP tools and the programme should be further adjusted to meet BiH specific needs and circumstances to ensure sustainable and unified approach in their implementation throughout the prison systems.

The session was attended by the members of the multidisciplinary teams from the newly opened State prison, Bijeljina and Tuzla prisons, supported by the certified trainers and a Council of Europe consultant.

This activity is organized within the framework of the project “Support to the penitentiary system towards sustainable rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, funded under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2018–2021.