On 12 December 2024, the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Department for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, held a conference to present the results of the piloting of two correctional programmes – the "Programme for providing psychological and psychosocial support to prisoners, in particular those at risk of suicide, and promoting behavioural change" and the "Rehabilitation programme for people who use psychoactive substances".

The conference presented the key results of the programmes, discussed the challenges encountered during implementation, and identified opportunities for improving prisoner rehabilitation programmes in Ukraine. It was opened by high-level representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and the Council of Europe.

The pilot phase introduced two correctional programmes in 12 penitentiary institutions, reaching 121 prisoners and helping to increase their awareness of addiction-related issues and emotion management. It taught them how to achieve positive behavioural changes, with prisoners learning to apply emotion management techniques, self-reflection and self-control.

As a result, some participants manifested improved attitudes towards prison administration, viewing them as partners rather than opponents. Other examples of effectiveness include a participant who decided to undergo detoxication after 26 years of substance abuse, a request for additional classes on emotion management from a group of participants, and a prisoner who had previously refused rehabilitation programmes now supporting other group members after having completed the emotional management course.

The recommendations that came out of the pilot include scaling up training for prison staff to ensure continuity of programmes; strengthening the material base of prisons by supplying multimedia equipment and educational tools; monitoring the participants' behavioural and attitudinal changes over time.

The success of the pilot demonstrated the potential for scaling up the programmes nationwide to help create a more humane and rehabilitative approach to the execution of criminal sentences, contributing to the reduction of reoffending in Ukraine.

This event was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe Project "Towards more humane conditions of detention and reduction of reoffending in Ukraine" (DECOPRIS).