On 11-12 December 2023, a delegation of officials in charge of Ukraine’s penitentiary system, led by Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Vysotska, participated in a study visit to the Council of Europe. 

The programme of the two-day visit included closing the Joint EU and Council of Europe Project ”EU and Council of Europe working together to support the prison reform in Ukraine Plus (SPERU+)”, launching a new project for the Ukrainian penitentiary system and meeting representatives of relevant Council’s bodies and institutions.

During the SPERU+ closing event, the participants discussed the results and success achieved within the short-term SPERU+ Project and the main challenges faced while implementing the Penitentiary Refrom Strategy of Ukraine 2021-2026.

The speakers highlighted the importance of the Council of Europe’s assistance to the penitentiary system of Ukraine in overcoming its structural problems and shifting from punitive to rehabilitative approach in prisons.

The Cooperation in Police and Deprivation of Liberty Division, in its turn, confirmed the commitment of the Council of Europe to support the Ministry of Justice in advancing the reforms and presented a framework for the next project “Towards more humane detention conditions and reduced reoffending in Ukraine” (DECOPRIS), which will aim to enhance the protection of human rights of prisoners by way of improving the quality of prison management in Ukraine.

The delegation also met Christophe Poirel, Director of Human Rights, representatives of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court, Human Rights Commissioner’s Office and the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights. These meetings contributed to further cooperation and increased awareness of the delegation of the outstanding issues and challenges regarding the rights of persons deprived of liberty in Ukraine.