Strasbourg, 15-16 April 2025

A multi-disciplinary delegation of senior Ukrainian officials conducted a two-day study visit to the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg, deepening cooperation on penitentiary reform.

The delegation included the Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, the Deputy Head of the Department for Execution of Criminal Sanctions, the Head of the Prison Health Centre, the Head of the General Directorate of the State Criminal Executive Service, and the Government Agent of Ukraine before the European Court of Human Rights. This diverse representation allowed for an in-depth and comprehensive exchanges across the full spectrum of prison management and human rights protection.

The visit offered the Ukrainian delegation a unique opportunity to engage with all three components of the Council of Europe’s strategic “triangle”:

• Standard-setting: Delegates met with secretariat of the Council for Penological Co-operation (PC-CP) to discuss the European Prison Rules and other key recommendations shaping prison policy across Europe.
• Monitoring: Discussions with representatives of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (DEJ), and the European Court of Human Rights allowed the delegation to explore how Ukraine’s penitentiary practices can be further aligned with the findings and recommendations of Council of Europe monitoring bodies.
• Cooperation: Meetings with the Cooperation in Police and Deprivation of Liberty Division (CPDL) and the Pompidou Group (PG) provided insights into technical cooperation, capacity-building initiatives, and drug prevention and treatment strategies within the penitentiary context.

This study visit marks another important milestone in the Council of Europe’s long-standing support for Ukraine’s prison reform agenda, promoting a penitentiary system that is effective, humane, and fully aligned with European values and standards.

A key highlight of the visit was the 3rd Steering Committee Meeting of the DECOPRIS project, at which the 6-month workplan for the period covering May to October 2025 was discussed and formally approved by project stakeholders.

This activity was conducted under the auspices of the CoE project “Towards More Humaine Detention Conditions and Reduced Reoffending in Ukraine” (DECOPRIS).