DECOPRIS - Towards more humane detention conditions and reduced reoffending in Ukraine
This project is implemented by the Council of Europe in co-operation with the main partners, namely the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the State Department of Execution of Criminal Sanctions and other relevant national stakeholders of the penitentiary system in Ukraine.
DECOPRIS is implanted under the auspices of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026. Particularly, the Project addresses the Action Plan’s objective of ‘continued support to the authorities in building modern prison and probation systems with a focus on shifting from punitive to rehabilitative approaches in the context of war and post-war recovery period’.
Building upon the successes of the EU and CoE Joint Project "Support the Prison Reform in Ukraine" (JP SPERU), the EU and CoE Joint Project "Support the Prison Reform in Ukraine Plus" (JP SPERU+), and 11 years of co-operation under the Pompidou Group’s Criminal Justice and Health in Prison Programme, DECOPRIS strategically leverages the reform objectives outlined in Ukraine's "Strategy for Penitentiary Reform 2021-2026."
The overarching goal is to improve conditions and treatment of detainees in Ukraine in line with CoE standards, through the following:
- Adopting contemporary instruments on effective prison management by penitentiary system’s decision- and policy-makers.
- Promoting dynamic security approaches to prison management and operational staff and increasing their capacity to maintain positive relationships with the inmates with focus on the prevention of ill treatment and torture in prisons.
- Developing and enhancing prison management and operational staff capacity to apply new rehabilitation tools and programs that facilitate detainee’s rehabilitation and preparation for release.
- Preparing correctional and healthcare staff to implement new programmes targeting detained people with substance use disorders.
- Understanding the benefits of a comprehensive drug treatment system in custodial settings and elaborating plans for its sustainable implementation.
The project implementation covers the period 18 December 2023 - 17 December 2026.
Project documentation
Useful information
Penitentiary psychologists in Ukraine ready to pilot rehabilitation programme on psychological and psychosocial support for prisoners
From 22 to 24 May 2024, 23 psychologists working in different prisons in Ukraine were trained in piloting and practical application of the Rehabilitation Programme on psychological and psycho-social support for prisoners. The goal of the Programme is to achieve positive changes in the behaviour...
Training of penitentiary psychologists on piloting the Substance use rehabilitation programme
From 29 April to 1 May 2024, a three-day training for psychologists from the State Department for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions of Ukraine took place in Truskavets, Ukraine. The objective of the training was to equip the participants with the necessary skills to pilot a newly developed...
Expert meeting to develop the National Action Plan for implementation of the Penitentiary Reform Strategy until 2026
From 29 April to 1 May 2024 an expert meeting was held in Truskavets, Ukraine, to develop a National (Operational) Action Plan for the implementation of the Penitentiary Reform Strategy for the period until 2026. The meeting was chaired by Olena Vysotska, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine,...
Official launch and first Steering Committee meeting of the DECOPRIS project in Ukraine
On 23 April 2024, the Council of Europe Project “Towards more humane detention conditions and reduced reoffending in Ukraine” (hereinafter – DECOPRIS) held its Launching event and the first Steering Committee meeting. The Project builds on the results achieved within the EU and the CoE Joint...
2024/AO/15 - Local consultancy services in the area of penitentiary in Ukraine
Within the framework of the Project “Towards More Humane Detention Conditions and Reduced Reoffending in Ukraine” the Council of Europe is launching a call for the provision of local consultancy services in order to support the implementation of the project with a particular local expertise in...