A draft Strategy and Action Plan on mental health for the Romanian penitentiary system for 2024-2029 were presented and discussed online on 12 November 2024.

The draft Strategy and Action Plan were developed by an intersectoral Working Group involving representatives of the National Administration of Penitentiaries, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health, acting in close coordination with Council of Europe local and international consultants. These important policy documents draw on the National Action Plan on Mental Health adopted in May 2024, and address the shortcomings in prison mental health care identified by the European Court of Human Rights, Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and on-site assessment missions supported by the Council of Europe.

The content of the draft Strategy and Action Plan was endorsed by all Working Group members and submitted to the National Administration of Penitentiaries for its approval.

The presentation was organised within the framework of the project “Further strengthening the provision of health care and mental health in prisons and other closed institutions in Romania” financed by the Human Rights Trust Fund of the Council of Europe.