​The 29th Council of Europe Annual Conference of Directors of Prison and Probation Services “Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law at the Heart of Prisons and Probation” was held at the Grand Hotel Millenium, Sofia, Bulgaria on 24 and 25 June 2024. It was hosted and co-organised with the General Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions, Ministry of Justice, Bulgaria.

The Conference was held in plenary sessions and in six workshops. These have dealt with autonomy of prisoners, combating organised crime groups; net-widening in probation; managing returnees and their families; the role of victims in the rehabilitation process; and dealing with life long sentences and high security regimes.

The Conference was attended by the Directors General of the Council of Europe member and observer states as well as by representatives of the European Union, the United Nations, the European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services (EuroPris), the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) and the Confederation of European Probation (CEP). It was also attended by renown researchers and professionals. More than 150 participants have taken part in this high-level meeting. 

The Conference was opened to invited participants only: Directors of the Prison and Probation Services of the Council of Europe member and observer States.

 Documents

• Programme
• Practical Information
• Curriculum Vitae of the Speakers and Moderators
• List of participants

 Family photo

 Presentations

OPENING PLENARY SESSION

Welcome address:

• Iliana IOTOVA, Vice-President, Bulgaria
• Hanne JUNCHER, Director, Directorate of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law, DGI: Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe 

Keynote speech:

• Maria PAVLOVA, Minister of Justice, Bulgaria
• Ivaylo YORDANOV, General Director, Directorate General for the Execution of sanctions, Bulgaria 
• Dirk VAN ZYL SMIT, Emeritus Professor of Criminology (United Kingdom) 

WORKSHOP 1: COMBATTING ORGANISED CRIME GROUPS

Moderators: Carla CIAVARELLA, PC‑CP WG Member (Italy) & Ilina TANEVA (Council of Europe)

Panelists:

• Ezio Antonio GIACALONE, Executive Penitentiary Police, Director of Central Investigation Unit - Department of Penitentiary Administration (Italy)
• Rivana SONBEEK, Head of National Office for Information and Security (Landelijk Bureau Inlichtingen en Veiligheid - LBIV) Penitentiary Administration of the Netherlands  (Dienst Justitiële Inrichtingen)
• Josefin SKOGLUND, Acting Head of the Intelligence service, Prison and probation service (Sweden)

WORKSHOP 2: AUTONOMY OF PRISONERS

Moderators: Danijela Mrhar PRELIĆ, PC‑CP WG Member (Slovenia) & Paulina TALLROTH, PC‑CP WG Member (Finland)

Panelists:

• Laurence NIBELLE, Project manager for the small-scale detention & Werner VANHOUT, General Adviser, Prisons Directorate (Belgium)
• Petar RUKAVINA, Director of the Gospic Prison (Croatia)
• Olivia ROPE, Executive Director, Penal Reform International (PRI) & Nadya RADKOVSKA, Head, Department for International Relations and Training of Staff, General Directorate Execution of Sentences, Ministry of Justice (Bulgaria) 

WORKSHOP 3: NET-WIDENING IN PROBATION

Moderators: Jana ŠPERO (CEP) & Ronald GRAMIGNA (Switzerland)

Panelists:

• Fergus McNEILL, Professor of Criminology and Social Work at the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom)
• Vivian GEIRAN, Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Social Work & Social Policy, Dublin (Ireland)
• Daniel DANGLADES, Deputy Head of European and International Relations Unit (France)

WORKSHOP 4: MANAGING RETURNEES AND THEIR FAMILIES

Moderators: Nadya RADKOVSKA (Bulgaria) & Dominik LEHNER, PC-CP WG Member (Switzerland)

Panelists:

• Isabelle DETRY, National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology (INCC) (Belgium)
• Philippe VANSTEENKISTE, President of V-Europe and Chair of the Working group on Victims of Terrorism (RAN)
• Torben ADAMS, International Program Manager UNODC/DTA/CPCJS/CPCJ Officer 

WORKSHOP 5: THE ROLE OF VICTIMS IN THE REHABILITATION PROCESS

Moderators: Jorge MONTEIRO, PC-CP WG Member (Portugal) & Kim THORNDEN-EDWARDS, PC-CP WG Member (United Kingdom)

Panelists:

• Annie DEVOS, General Administrator of the Houses of Justice, Wallonia-Brussels Federation (Belgium)
• Ian D. MARDER (Dr.), European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ)
• Aleksandra IVANKOVIC, Deputy Director, Victim Support Europe

WORKSHOP 6: THE EVOLUTION OF HIGH-RISK PRISON REGIMES - ENSURING SAFETY WHILE RESPECTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND REHABILITATION NEEDS

Moderators: Frédéric HANKUS, PC-CP WG Member (France) & Gustav TALLVING (EuroPris)

Panelists:

• Hugh CHETWYND, European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)
• Alison LIEBLING, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)
• Esa-Pekka HÄNNINEN, Head, Prison and Probation Service (Finland) 

CLOSING PLENARY SESSION

Summing up of the workshops and some ideas for the future: 

• Laura NEGREDO LÓPEZ, PC-CP Chair (Spain)

Closing addresses:

• Alan MITCHELL, CPT President
• Ivaylo YORDANOV, General Director, Directorate General for the Execution of sanctions, Bulgaria

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