A key focus of the Council of Europe continuous support for Albanian prison institutions is the improvement of the treatment of forensic patients by guiding doctors and psycho-social staff of Lezha special institution on the use of modern diagnostic tools. 

In this framework a two-day training was held in Tirana, bringing together 16 professionals representing Lezha provisional institution for forensic patients, the Directorate General of Prison Administration and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection. The training focused on the introduction of the updated “Historical Clinical Risk Management” tool commonly used within prison services, forensic institutions, as well as general or civil psychiatric settings in the Council of Europe member states. This methodology allows prison professionals to determine the presence of 20 violence risk factors in assessed patients, helping to form an objective structured professional judgment.

During the training participants had also the opportunity to practice the application of the tool with different case studies as well as design risk management plans for different categories of forensic patients. This advanced methodology is considered a reliable diagnostic in forensic psychiatry, allowing for the assessment of violence risk with an 80% accuracy.

The Albanian Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health and Social Protection are planning to officially introduce the use of the “Historical Clinical Risk Management methodology in Lezha special institution for forensic patients.

The training 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 in particular Action on Enhancing the protection of Human Rights of prisoners in Albania.