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First local co-ordination forum on reintegration of violent extremist prisoners in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The first local co-ordination forum on prevention of radicalisation in prisons, rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) and their reintegration back into the society of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) upon the release, took place in Doboj on 10 June 2021. The forum provided for wider discussion between all relevant stakeholders on their responsibility and actions to address this issue and the need to further enhance the cooperation between the relevant local agencies and organisations.

Twenty five participants representing prison facilities in Zenica and Doboj, social welfare centres, centres for mental health, Ministries of Interior, Ministries of justice, the office of the Regional Intelligence and Security Agency and the Regional Office of the Agency for Investigation and Protection took part in the discussion.

All participants agreed that multi-sectoral approach and a comprehensive risk and needs assessment were crucial in disengagement of VEPs from violence and instigation of their social integration upon release from prison. In the opinion of prison management and staff, development of individual treatment programs are imperative prerequisites for success, while only tailored reintegration plans, with the participation of the relevant local actors in the process, will ensure VEPs successful reintegration back into their communities.

The activity was organised by CSO Atlantic Initiative from Sarajevo in close co-operation with the BiH authorities, under the auspices of the grant agreement signed under the Regional Action „Enhancing penitentiary capacities in addressing radicalisation in prisons in the Western Balkans“, that is part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programmme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019 – 2022.

Doboj 14 JUNE 2021
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project brief

On 01 May 2021 the Council of Europe initiated the implementation of an 8-months project entitled “Support to penitentiary system towards sustainable rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners in Bosnia and Herzegovina”. The project is implemented in close cooperation with the three Ministries of Justice (Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federation of BiH, and Republika Srpska), and their respective partners from the entity and state penitentiary institutions.

The overall purpose of the project is to provide continued support to the authorities in BiH in their efforts to further build the capacities of the prison system and strengthen their skills with respect to managing violent extremist prisoners (VEPs). It will also ensure sustainability of the actions undertaken towards efficient reintegration of VEPs back in the community.

The previous Council of Europe projects[1] set the foundations and preconditions for structured case management of VEPs and inter-agency cooperation. The future key actions, supported under this proposal, will be focused on enhancement of the prison staff skills related to the multi-disciplinary approach in ensuring VEPs rehabilitation and preparation for release. This project will also aim to establish virtual education and training proficiency center, which will bring together the existing expertise and resources in order to sustain knowledge and skills attained in management of VEPs.

The main expected results of the project are:

  1. Enhancement of the unified application of the VEP-specific tools throughout the penitentiary systems in BiH, and
  2. Establishment of the BiH Penitentiary virtual Center of Excellence for preventing and countering violent extremism in prisons in a form of collaboration platform 

The project has an overall budget of 200,000 EUR and is financed under the Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2018–2021. 

 

[1] Voluntary contribution "Structured sentence management for violent and extremist prisoners", funded by UK Embassy and USAID (2018-2021) and “Supporting reintegration of violent and extremist prisoners in Bosnia and Herzegovina” , and voluntary contribution of the Government of the United Kingdom through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2017-2018)