Natrag Albanian prison service to pilot Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for prisoners with mental health disorders

Pogradec, Albania 4-5 April 2023
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Albanian prison service to pilot Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for prisoners with mental health disorders

The EU and the Council of Europe through their joint Horizontal Facility programme are assisting the Albanian prison service to further improve the treatment of prisoners with mental health disorders. This will be achieved by setting up a standardised system of detection, screening and treatment based on individualised treatment plans. To discuss this process, a working group meeting was held on 4-5 April 2023 in Pogradec. This event follows the development of the SOPs for prisoners with mental health disorders and staff coaching, which were supported in the framework of the previous phase of the programme.

The event brought together 17 prison staff members directly responsible for the implementation of the SOPs in Fier and Durres prisons, co-ordinators at the Directorate General of Prison Administration (DGPA) and Council of Europe consultants. Strengths and weaknesses were discussed, evidencing where an enhanced focus is needed. Procedural gaps were clarified, and agreement reached on a methodology and indicators for measuring progress of the piloting. The EU and Council of Europe are currently helping the Albanian prison service with the drafting of the operational plans in support to the SOPs application, which DGPA shall officially endorse. The full piloting of the SOPs in both prisons is expected to start in May 2023 and last over a period of five months.

The WG meeting was organized under the action “Enhancing the protection of human rights of prisoners in Albania”, which is part of a joint initiative of the European Union and Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye 2023-2026”.

Horizontal Facility III

Zajednički program Europske unije i Vijeća Europe pod nazivom „Horizontal Facility za Zapadni Balkan i Tursku“ (Horizontal Facility III) inicijativa je za suradnju koja se provodi od 2023. do 2026. godine. Program obuhvaća aktivnosti u Albaniji, Bosni i Hercegovini, Kosovu*, Crnoj Gori, Sjevernoj Makedoniji, Srbiji i Turskoj. Programom se pomaže korisnicima da ispune svoje planove reformi u području ljudskih prava, vladavine prava i demokracije te da usklade standarde s europskim standardima, što je ujedno i prioritet za proces proširenja EU-a.

Vrijednost ovog programa je 41 milijun eura (85 % financira EU, 15 % Vijeće Europe).

* Ova oznaka ne prejudicira stavove o statusu i ista je u skladu s Rezolucijom Vijeća sigurnosti UN-a 1244 i Mišljenjem Međunarodnog suda pravde o Deklaraciji o neovisnosti Kosova.