Three 1-day round tables on strengthening the coordination between the internal and external prison inspection bodies were held from 7 to 9 October in Bitola, Shtip and Skopje.

The aim of the round tables was to present the wider professional audience with the new prison inspection manual developed under the auspices of the project, to improve the coordination between the relevant inspection bodies and to strengthen the role of the judges for execution of sanctions.

The CPT standards regarding conducting proper and effective prison inspection and the ECtHR case law related to the treatment of sentenced persons and conditions in the penitentiary institutions were elaborated in details. Recommendations were adopted following the experts’ presentations and the discussion afterwards.

Presentations were delivered by six experts, including a former and a current judge to the European Court of Human Rights, as well as a former and a current member of the European Committee for the prevention of Torture (CPT). A total of 65 participants were present, including judges, prosecutors, lawyers, representatives from the penitentiary system and the NGO sector.  

The round tables were organized within the scope of the Joint Programme "Capacity Building of the Law Enforcement Agencies for Appropriate Treatment of Detained and Sentenced Persons”, funded by the EU and implemented by the Council of Europe.