Recognizing the challenges posed by the COVID 19 outbreak, during the lockdown period, the Working Group, composed of representatives of Ministries of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska (RS), prison management and professionals, with support by an international consultant, have successfully completed the development of the “Case Management (CMS) Manual for Violent and Extremist Prisoners (VEPs)” and finalised the peer review of the “Manual on Assessment and Rehabilitation of Violent Extremist Prisoners (VEPs) in Bosnia and Herzegovina” (herewith: the RNA Manual).

The CMS Manual further develops the multidisciplinary approach in dealing with VEPs, multi-agency co-operation and internal communication between different prison services, as well as data collection and exchange between the agencies, and the role of the prison security service in VEP case management. As a result, an individualised case management approach will be set in place, which will enable prison personnel to monitor prisoners’ progress throughout the imprisonment.

The RNA Manual was improved through peer review and practitioners’ skills enhanced through their involvement in its initial piloting in the everyday prison practice. Namely, the piloting of the RNA tool was conducted by 15 prison practitioners, members of the multi-disciplinary teams, from five prison facilities (Zenica, Banja Luka, Foča, Tuzla and Bihać). The RNA manual sets the protocol on conducting risk and needs assessment of VEPs and indicators on possible or signs of already existing radicalisation, and determines the individual sentence planning and the treatment programmes.

This activity has been organised as part of the project ''Structured Sentence Management for Violent and Extremist Prisoners in Bosnia and Herzegovina'', funded thanks to the generous contribution of the British Government and the USAID office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and implemented by the Council of Europe.