Ukraine is set to launch its first prison-based Therapeutic Community related to addictions at Stryzhavka Correctional Colony (No. 81), following the signing of a grant agreement between the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine and the General Directorate of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine. The agreement is to support the refurbishment of premises for Ukraine’s first prison-based therapeutic community programme.

The new facility will provide a supportive, recovery-focused programme for up to 18 inmates, including individuals with reduced mobility, who are ready to begin the support programme.

Refurbished in line with European human rights standards, the prison ward is expected to open for programme piloting in September 2026. In the meantime, prison staff will receive specialised training.

Ms Hilde Haug, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, emphasised the importance of the agreement, noting it is one of the first major penitentiary refurbishment projects supported by the Council of Europe partners amid the ongoing Russia's war against Ukraine. Mr Denis Gregi, Head of the General Directorate of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment and experience in completing such projects despite the challenges.

This initiative strengthens the longstanding partnership in rehabilitation-oriented prison reform and expands evidence-based support for inmates with substance use disorders.

The Council of Europe project “Towards More Humane Conditions of Detention and Reduced Reoffending in Ukraine” (DECOPRIS) is implemented by the Secretariat of the Pompidou Group within the framework of  the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023–2026).