Component 4: Treatment programmes

 

Vulnerable groups of prisoners are groups of sentenced persons with special needs which need to be met through the development of the appropriate treatment programmes by prison systems. Prisons in BiH currently do not have management guidance on the care and sentence management of vulnerable groups specifically designed for all vulnerable groups of prisoners. Some of the programmes have been developed within the framework of the previous EU/CoE JP "Efficient Prison Management in BiH", specifically for imprisoned women, sex offenders, drug misuses and high-risk prisoners. The said JP also developed guidelines for their proper and appropriate admission to serve sentence.

In order to enable a comprehensive approach and adequate treatment to all vulnerable groups in accordance with European standards, it would be necessary to develop an analysis/assessment based on which a treatment programme should be developed for the following vulnerable groups: minors/young offenders, persons under mandatory security measure, elderly population in prisons and persons with disabilities (physically handicapped). Further, such assessment should encompass recommendation to introduce effective systems for the assessment of risks and needs. Substantial work on developing protocols for risk and needs assessment has already been done through the project "Assistance for the reform of the prison system in Bosnia and Herzegovina" funded by the Canadian authorities and implemented by CoE. It could be used further to assist prison authorities to embrace these programmes as a helpful contribution to reducing the negative effects of imprisonment if they form part of a more positive experience. Use of a well designed protocol for risk and needs assessment ensures that prisoner programmes respond adequately to the existing needs. 

Prisoners with special needs are at a particularly high risk of being assaulted by other prisoners or mishandled by prison staff. Preventing these occurrences always poses a difficult challenge. The often adopted solution to separate them from the rest of the prison population usually reflects on their security and the much more limited activities programmes than those available under the normal prison regime. Another approach, to disperse prisoners with special needs throughout the prison concerned requires for the prison staff to be sincerely committed to providing treatment appropriate to their special needs.

The existence of a satisfactory programme of activities or treatment programme is of the utmost importance for any approach taken. It can do much to counter the detrimental effects of imprisonment on a person with special needs. The activities provided should be as diverse as possible (education, sport, work of vocational value, etc). Moreover, they should be able to exercise a degree of choice over the manner in which their time is spent, thus fostering a sense of autonomy and personal responsibility.