What is the goal?

To contribute to regional security by addressing radicalisation in prisons and disengaging violent extremist
prisoners from violence by:
► raising awareness of the process of radicalisation and violent extremism in prisons and encouraging
culture of sharing information and good practices betweenthe penitentiary and probation services
► assisting practitioners recognise signs of radicalisation and empower first-line officers with the necessary
knowledge and tools
► facilitate and encourage multi-agency partnerships to counter radicalisation in prisons and provide
adequate post-penal support to released violent extremist offenders.

Who benefits from the action?

► Ministries of Justice in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and
Serbia
► Penitentiary and probation services
► National Coordinating mechanisms on preventing and countering violent extremism and counter terrorism
► Other relevant institutions and agencies
► Prisoners at risk, radicalised inmates and violent extremist offenders
► Society in general.

How will the action work?

The action provides a forum for sharing know-how, experience and lessons learnt among the Beneficiaries
on addressing violent extremism and radicalisation in prisons. It aims to contribute towards standardisation
of the approaches in the Western Balkans and setting minimum standards and unified methodologies on
combatting violent extremism and radicalisation in the prisons in the region. The action co-ordinates its
actions with the Beneficiary authorities (prisons and probation services) and the local Coordinating
mechanisms on preventing and countering violent extremism and counter terrorism.

What do we expect to achieve?

► Strengthened application of the tools and mechanisms by the practitioners with regards to addressing
radicalisation in prisons, in light of the identified good practices in the region and Europe;
► Improved capacities of the practitioners involved in identifying and countering radicalisation in prisons;
► Prison managers and prison staff in Serbia and in Kosovo are able to identify, assess and address
radicalisation in their every day work through systematic application of the newly developed
methodologies and tools.

How much will it cost?

► The total budget of the action is 2.000.000 EUR
► The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 Million EUR (85%
funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).

How to get more information?

► Criminal Law Co-operation Unit website: https://www.coe.int/en/web/criminal-law-coop
► Horizontal Facility website: https://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/horizontal-facility/home
► Marija Simić, Horizontal Facility Communication Officer, Marija.SIMIC@coe.int, +381 63 601 337
Besnik Baka, Horizontal Facility Communication Officer, Besnik.BAKA@coe.int, +355 69 217 8430