Enhancing the effectiveness of Civil Monitoring Boards in Türkiye in line with European Standards

The Civil Monitoring Boards (CMBs) have been actively involved in the external monitoring of the penitentiary system in the Republic of Türkiye through conducting on-site visits since 2001. The main task of CMBs is to conduct civil monitoring visits to the prisons and produce reports with binding recommendations for the Ministry of Justice. The deficiency of standards within the monitoring process, as well as the inadequate capacities and lack of training opportunities for the members, remained at unsatisfactory level for a long period of time.

The current “learning by doing” system should be replaced by an institutionalized training system. Therefore, there is an urgent need to work on the capacity building of the CMBs, as well as on increasing the quality of the whole process of the selection and training of its members in order to reach the European standards. Only a well-functioning external monitoring mechanism will contribute to a better penal system by decreasing the human rights breaches.

The Project was divided in 4 components:

Strengthening CMBs independence through revision of the applicable legal and regulatory framework in line with the international standards;
Enhancing CMBs efficiency by further developing their monitoring standards and working methodology and tools;
Ensuring sustainable training provision for the CMB members; and
Improving CMBs internal coordination and communication with other external monitoring mechanisms.

This Project was estimated to cover approximately 100 activities to be implemented by 31 May 2022, with an overall budget of 1,600,000 Euros.

Project documentation

Useful information

PROJECT NEWS

Back Awareness-raising tools for the Turkish Civil Monitoring Boards

The Project “Enhancing the Effectiveness of Civil Monitoring Boards (CMB) in line with the European standards” has continued the implementation of the project activities in line with the mitigation measures plan introduced due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In that manner, the Project advanced its work with respect to developing leaflets aiming at disseminating information to the professionals and the general public on the role, mandate and responsibilities of the CMBs.

As a result, a total of four leaflets have been prepared targeting the general public, Justice Commissions, prisoners, and project stakeholders. Namely, the leaflets will:

inform the general public on the functioning and the main tasks of the CMBs, encouraging them to take active part in the CMBs work;
increase prisoners’ understanding of the CMBs mandate and the tasks they perform and how they could benefit from the CMBs work.
Inform project stakeholders (enforcement judges, justice inspectors, controllers, public prosecutors, National Preventive Mechanism, Ombudsman and prison management) on the CMBs role and the important function they play in monitoring prison facilities.
further raise awareness among Justice Commissions with an aim to ensure more efficient, plural and gender balanced selection and appointment processes of the CMB members.

The leaflets will be published in Turkish and English and disseminated country-wide during the second half of 2020.

The Project “Enhancing the Effectiveness of the Civil Monitoring Boards in line with the European Standards” is funded by Sweden, Switzerland, the Republic of Turkey, the Human Rights Trust Fund and Canada.

Ankara, Turkey June 2020