Joint Programme

Horizontal Facility

Early detection of potential mental health issues among violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) by non-medical prison staff is essential to ensure that prisoners receive timely and appropriate treatment by medical professionals. At the same time, protecting the well-being and mental health of prison staff is crucial for the effective management and rehabilitation of VEPs, as well as other prisoners vulnerable to radicalisation.

To address this, 25 prison practitioners from the majority of prisons in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Justice of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministry of Justice of Republika Srpska gathered in a workshop in Sarajevo. The participants raised their awareness on key Council of Europe tools and European standards related to prisoners’ mental health and treatment. They got acquainted with the “Guidelines for Assessment of Mental Health of VEPs, marginalised prisoners and prisoners vulnerable to radicalisation” and the “Screening Tool for Early Recognition of Signs of Mental Issues”. Through case studies, participants enhanced their practical skills in applying the screening tool and in detecting signs of mental health issues among VEPs.

In the second part of the workshop, participants were introduced to the “Guidelines and protocol on managing crisis situations in the work with VEPs” related to the protection of well-being and mental health of prison staff developed under the Council of Europe project “Providing for effective reintegration of violent extremist offenders in Bosnia and Herzegovina-phase II”. In addition, they strengthened their skills on practical measures to improve their well-being and mental health as well as to prevent and detect deterioration of their colleagues’ mental health.

This workshop was organised by the regional action Enhancing co-operation in the Western Balkans in managing violent extremism in prisons and preventing further radicalisation after release implemented under the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkiye”.