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.

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Back Penitentiary psychologists in Ukraine ready to pilot rehabilitation programme on psychological and psychosocial support for prisoners

Nino LAPACHI

Modified 4 Months ago.

@ Council of Europe

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 of convicts, especially those prone to suicide and intentional self-harm, as well as to meet the mental health needs of prisoners by providing psychological and psychosocial support.

During the three days of the training, the participants learned to deliver 14 programme sessions that will help prisoners identify emotional crises, overcome negative scenarios and regain control over their lives.

The psychologists highlighted the importance of the training for progressing in rehabilitation and saving lives. The training has set foundations for their personal and professional development in working with prisoners.

In her closing remarks, Nataliia Rybalka, Deputy Head of the State Department for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions of Ukraine, thanked the DECOPRIS Project for the experience gained during the three-day training and for fostering further changes and improvements within the penitentiary system of Ukraine.

The next step in implementing the programme will be piloting it in selected penal institutions (both for men and women). DECOPRIS project will continue to support the piloting to ensure that the programme not only achieves its initial goals but also develops further based on the feedback and results of the pilot implementation.

The training was conducted within the framework of the Council of Europe Project "Towards more humane detention conditions and reduced reoffending in Ukraine (DECOPRIS)".

Lviv, Ukraine 22-24 May 2024