Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty in Kosovo*

The Council of Europe is implementing a Project on the “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty” with a duration of 36 months (October 2022 – September 2025), co-funded through voluntary contributions of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Norway, and the Council of Europe. The Project has an overall budget of 850000 EUR.

The Project will focus on supporting reform initiatives to consolidate the already achieved results within the framework of the 2016-2018 Horizontal Facility action “Enhancing the protection of human rights of prisoners in Kosovo*”, and expand the work to enable favorable conditions for treatment and healthcare provided to persons deprived of liberty compliant with the Council of Europe standards.

The Project’s target groups are healthcare professionals and other categories of staff in prisons and other closed institutions, whilst the end beneficiaries are prisoners in need of medical attention, forensic institute patients, and persons with mental and physical disabilities accommodated in special social welfare institutions.

The Project aim will be accomplished through the following measures:

strengthening co-operation and increasing consistency and co-ordination of approaches of all relevant stakeholders so as to improve the health care provided to all persons who are de facto, and de jure deprived of their liberty, including convicted persons, patients involuntarily committed to psychiatric hospitalization and persons with mental disabilities placed in social welfare institutions;
further enhancing the professional performance of the Prison Healthcare Department within the Ministry of Health through capacity-building measures, by establishing relevant protocols and strengthening safeguards against ill-treatment;
reviewing legislation and policies regulating involuntary psychiatric hospitalization in light of Council of Europe standards and assessing and revising procedures and information provided to patients on their rights; and,
strengthening the protection of the human rights of detained patients with mental disabilities and facilitating their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

By achieving the above-mentioned objectives, the project will further enhance the knowledge and skills of medical and non-medical staff in prisons, other closed institutions, and relevant stakeholders, to strengthen the safeguards against ill-treatment in line with Council of Europe standards and the CPT recommendations. It will develop an efficient working methodology and encourage sustainable co-operation, with an overall aim to ensure the protection of the human rights of persons deprived of their liberty, with focus on convicted persons and patients with mental disabilities.

* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo

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Back Council of Europe enhances skills of mental healthcare professionals and correctional staff on psychosocial programmes and rehabilitation methods

Council of Europe enhances skills of mental healthcare professionals and correctional staff on psychosocial programmes and rehabilitation methods

Mental healthcare professionals and correctional staff should constantly strengthen their practical knowledge and skills and be aware of international standards and good practice to be able to provide appropriate treatment to persons deprived of liberty.

Therefore, a three-day training on psychosocial programmes and rehabilitation methods took place from 1 to 3 July in Kosovo* nearby Dubrava Prison, facilitated by two Council of Europe subject matter experts.

A total of 30 mental healthcare professionals and correctional staff from the Institute for Forensic Psychiatry of Kosovo (IFPK), Kosovo Correctional Services (KCS), Prison Health Department (PHD), and the Special Institute for Persons with Learning and Physical Disabilities (SIS) as well as representatives of the Kosovo Probation Service and civil society were acquainted with several techniques to assist them in their daily work. Through case studies the participants raised their practical knowledge and awareness of staff burnout, assessment of prisoners and persons in other closed institutions and subsequent treatment, discharge and release planning, motivational interviewing and de-escalation techniques, and patient self-care and education.

The participants also shared their experiences and learned from one another, whilst sharing institutional best practices in the process and strengthening the cooperation between their institutions.

As a sign of appreciation of the Council of Europe’s work and good partnership, the Director General of KCS, and the Heads of the PHD and the SIS expressed their gratitude to the Council of Europe for all the efforts and dedication in improving the skills and knowledge of their staff for a better treatment of persons in closed institutions.

The activity was organized under the auspices of the Council of Europe project “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty”.

* All references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions, or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United National Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Kosovo* 1-3 July 2024