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 The Civil Monitoring Boards’ visibility increased among prisoners and professional public

@ Council of Europe

The Project “Enhancing the Effectiveness of Civil Monitoring Boards (CMB) in line with the European standards” distributed leaflets aiming at informing prisoners, professionals and the general public on the role, mandate and responsibilities of the CMBs. A total of 57 000 leaflets were printed in Turkish and disseminated to 133 courthouses, 458 prisons, 81 local bar associations, 65 local medical chambers, civil society organisations and other external prison monitoring mechanisms.

According to the information received from the Directorate General for Prisons and Detention Houses (DGPDH), between March and July 2021, the CMB Bureau of the DGPDH has received 50 applications/letters from prisoners following the distribution of the leaflets. The letters are being forwarded to the relevant CMBs through the respective Justice Commissions, thus ensuring further actions by CMBs are undertaken and interviews with the prisoners concerned take place. This demonstrates that the CMBs’ visibility among the prison population in Turkey has increased significantly and the project has had a very positive effect so far and continues to be implemented successfully. Furthermore, it is important to note that there are also letters showing prisoners’ appreciation for the interviews with the CMBs, which additionally confirms there was concrete follow-up by the CMBs to the complaints.

The leaflets have been printed and distributed within the Project entitled “Enhancing the Effectiveness of the Civil Monitoring Boards in Turkey in line with the European Standards”, funded by Sweden, Switzerland, the Republic of Turkey, the Human Rights Trust Fund of the Council of Europe and Canada.

Turkey 3 September 2021