At today’s press conference marking the completion of the Twinning Project “Improving Capacities within the Prison System in the Republic of Serbia“, Justice Minister Nela Kuburović said that torture in the Serbian prisons was no more. She explained that the Ministry of Justice was committed to advancing the professional knowledge of the prison staff and vocational training of convicts. “The last report by the Ombudsman and the National [Torture] Preventive Mechanism stated that the trend of promoting the rights of persons deprived of liberty continued. Based on visits to 12 prisons holding detainees and convicts, it was concluded that torture as an organised occurrence instigated by state authorities no longer existed”, Minister Kuburović said.
The Minister added that Serbia was no longer on the Council of Europe’s prison accommodation ‘black list’, because in five years (from 2011 to 2016) the number of convicted persons went down from 156 to 108.9, per 100 spots available. She noted that since capacity reports were being done every two years, it would become known this year whether any progress had been achieved since 2016.
Discussing the numerous prison refurbishment and construction projects of Ministry of Justice and the Enforcement of Criminal Sanctions Directorate, Minister Kuburović stressed that in December 2018, a call for procurement of construction services for the new prison in Kragujevac with the capacity of 400 prisoners was published. “With the implementation of this project we will be a step closer to the ultimate goal of unburdening the prisons”, the Minister concluded.
Austria’s Justice Minister Josef Moser highlighted how important it was to train prison staff because their jobs were of sensitive nature, and how equally important it was to train the convicts for work. “I am pleased that Serbia, Austria and Germany joined forces on this Project”, Moser stated, adding that training of convicts was important for their resocialisation and for reducing recidivism.
Germany’s Ambassador to Serbia Thomas Schib believed the Project had contributed to the implementation of Chapter 23 Action Plan, as it contained recommendations and practical work, and that it could serve as a model for future projects. Ambassador Schib said that Serbia may rely on the EU Member States for support in reform processes, as well as Germany for direct bilateral support.
In the last 20 months of the Twinning Project for which the EU had allocated EUR 950,000 and Serbia EUR 50,000, experts from Austria and Germany held numerous workshops and trainings for prison staff working in the following services sections: security, treatment of prisoners, and training and work. The result of those workshops and trainings was: 11 manuals for prison staff which ought to help staff advance their knowledge on how to deal with different categories of convicted persons, with an emphasis on vulnerable groups (women, minors, LGBT, aliens, elderly persons, persons with disabilities).
Many instructor trainings and programmes were also held. They were completed by 218 instructors who will now give training to the staff in their institutes, such as the Vocational Training Centre in Niš for staff from the whole system. Special care was given to the education and skills and competences of women prisoners serving time in the Požarevac Prison. The total of 50 women prisoners received certified training for hair-dressers, manicurists and pedicurists. Those trainings increase the likelihood of the women, once finished serving their sentences, not going back to committing crimes; and it is precisely this category of persons deprived of liberty which is particularly vulnerable.
Source: Tanjug