Joint Programme

Horizontal Facility

A group of experienced staff coming from the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions (DES) and various prisons  met on in the DES Training Centre in Skopje, to discuss the first draft of the Prison Staff Training Strategy and related curricula. The team of local staffers prepared an initial draft of the documents, which set the basis for this session.

The EU and Council of Europe have supported the process of designing a training strategy by providing expertise and knowledge in the field.  With the assistance of one international consultant, the working group advanced with the development of the Training Strategy, curriculum, and modules, as well as the annual plan of trainings. These documents place the foundation for a regular induction and continuous training provision, with aim to introduce structured trainings for the penitentiary system and increase the overall quality of the work of the prison staff. In addition, the group discussed the specific needs that would further facilitate the operationalisation of the documents, such as setting up experts’ databases, transfer of knowledge, assessment of training needs, etc.

Introducing regular and continuous education of the penitentiary staff is one of the objectives of the National Penitentiary Strategy on the Development of the Penitentiary System in the Republic of North Macedonia (2021-25), developed with the support of the Horizontal Facility programme,

This session was conducted in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme ”Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye – Phase III ”, and its action on “Enhancing the capacities of the penitentiary system in North Macedonia”.