The EU and Council of Europe are assisting the Albanian Prison Service in the process of delivering the Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), aimed at better prepare prisoners for release.

In this framework on 23 June 2026, an evaluation visit was conducted at Fier Prison by a team composed of a psychologist, and representatives of the Directorate General of Prisons and Council of Europe to evaluate the results of the implementation of the CBT pilot programme. The evaluation focused on two dimensions: the experience of the psycho-social staff in delivering the programme, including their perceived strengths and challenges in implementation, and the experiences of prisoners who participated in the therapy. To this end, a focus group discussion was held with four prisoners to gather first-hand feedback on the benefits and impact of the programme from the perspective of the rights holders. The visit also provided an opportunity to assess the overall effectiveness of the intervention and identify lessons learned in the future implementation of CBT in other prisons in Albania.

During the conversation, prisoners confirmed how helpful the psychologist were in listening to their thoughts openly, without judgment and assisting them to spot negative thoughts as they happen, providing tools to reshape those thoughts in a more positive direction.

This meeting is a follow up of the capacity-building activity held in Tirana last January for professionals from several prisons, and the on-site coaching visits in May 2026. The Directorate General of Prisons decided to pilot the CBT programme not only in Fier prison, but also in Fushë-Kruja, Burrel, and Korça prisons. The pilot is being implemented between February and July 2026.

Upon the finalisation of the piloting, the Directorate General of Prisons intends to officially introduce CBT as regular rehabilitation programme, progressively to be expanded to all prison facilities in Albania.

The training was conducted in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme ”Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, and its action on “Enhancing the protection of Human Rights of prisoners in Albania”.