On December 12, 2023, the Head of the Office of the Council of Europe in Ukraine Maciej Janczak met with Serhiy Hrechaniuk, Head of the State Department for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions of Ukraine, to hand over computer equipment.

The purchase of 40 sets of IT equipment (40 personal computers, 40 multifunctional devices, 40 uninterrupted devices and licensed software for each computer) took place within the scope of the Joint Project "The European Union and the Council of Europe work together to support prison reform in Ukraine plus" (SPERU+).

"The State Department for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions of Ukraine is a reliable partner of the Council of Europe, with whom we have been closely cooperating within the framework of the Joint Program of the European Union and the Council of Europe for many years. We are extremely happy to strengthen the work of the Department's employees in working with the Unified Register of Convicts and Detainees and thereby contribute to the process of digitalization of the penitentiary system," said Maciej Janczak, handing over the purchased equipment.

The parties confirmed the need to continue cooperation on the introduction of new principles of modern management of a penitentiary institution in accordance with the standards and best practices of the Council of Europe, including the elimination of shortcomings identified in the decisions of the ECtHR against Ukraine, as well as the improvement of the use of rehabilitation approaches and tools for the transition from a punitive to a more rehabilitative regime.

Serhiy Hrechanyuk thanked the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine for assistance and its support of the Department and emphasized the importance of further cooperation to continue to support the prison reform in Ukraine, in particular by involving the expertise of the Council of Europe.