The Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Ambassador Sem Fabrizi, visited the Detention and Rehabilitation Centre for women in Pozarevac. This is the only female prison in Serbia, and it now has a newly constructed pavilion that will accommodate 160 female convicts within an open, semi-open and a misdemeanor ward. The EU has granted 3 million EUR for the reconstruction of this prison.
“The prison system in Serbia is important for the EU for two main reasons – for ensuring that those who are sentenced by a court actually serve their sentence, but also that they are treated in a proper, fair and humane way”, said Ambassador Fabrizi. He added that the construction of the new pavilion will improve living and working conditions of the female convicts, with a special focus on the department for women with children.
This project is part of a larger EU funding aimed at providing support to the Serbian prison system. Only in the last three years, 7 mil EUR has been allocated for reconstruction works and equipment as well as for trainings and capacity building of both prison staff and inmates.
Visited Požarevac prison recipient of 3 millions 💶 🇪🇺 grant in infrastructure & training. Humanity towards prisoners, job opportunities for inmates & use of alternative sanctions are key for a modern system. Huge thanks to Prison administration to allow this important visit #MoJ pic.twitter.com/CvLxMN1Ruz
— Sem Fabrizi (@FabriziSem) October 14, 2019
Training of 500 inmates at three of Serbia’s largest correctional institutions – including Zabela, was also financed by the EU. Visiting Zabela, Fabrizi toured also the newly constructed male pavilion, which accommodates up to 216 male inmates. He also visited the workshop for welding and baking, which employs prisoners upon their completion of training.
“I was able to see today some of the products made by the prisoners, like the furniture and bed linen, and I am pleased indeed that, thanks to the EU assistance, both female and male inmates will gain education and skills that will give them a better chance for finding jobs in the future“, concluded EU Ambassador Fabrizi.
“The new pavilion in he Detention and Rehabilitation Centre for women solves the question of capacity and improves the condition in which the inmates live and work. Apart from that, thanks to EU assistance we have educational programmes for 500 inmates in the biggest detention centres – Zabela, Sremska Mitrovica and Niš,” Director of the Administration for the Enforcement of Penal Sanctions.
More information about the EU Assistance to Serbia in the penal system you can find here.
