A study visit to the penitentiary system in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which took place on 07 and 08 April 2022, gave an opportunity to the representatives of the penitentiary systems in North Macedonia and Serbia to better understand BiH approaches to VEPs rehabilitation and management and learn from their experiences.
The participants jointly discussed the positive and the negative aspects of the dispersive and centralised allocation models, both applied by BiH with regards to VEPs. They also exchanged experiences on utilisation of the screening tools and risk and needs assessment instruments and how to best respond to the specific needs of each VEP individual, through adjusting the rehabilitation methodology and treatment plan. The visitors also got acquainted with the advantages of the Case Management System developed in BiH and its functionality and application in practice.
The delegation visited the premises of the BiH State Prison and the Detention Facility of Closed Type in Zenica. It was a common conclusion that working engagement, occupational therapy and vocational training opportunities are extremely valued by prisoners and that these are stimulative for their motivation, especially with regards to VEPs, to further engage in the rehabilitation process.
The activity was implemented under the regional action “Enhancing penitentiary capacities in addressing radicalisation in prisons in the Western Balkans”, within the Horizontal Facility Program for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe.