In recent years, the European Union has supported the improvement of penal system in the Republic of Serbia through a series of projects.
Project at the Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Centre in Krusevac
Construction of 8 new pavilions – The construction works kicked off in March 2011 and ran through mid-2012. Wards were moved to the new pavilions in mid-October 2013. The value of the project stands at EUR2.760,000.
Furthermore, in 2008, the European Union donated the following equipment for the training of wards at the Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Centre: a CNC MVC 610 machine and a CNC TC400-42-MC machine. The value of the purchased equipment amounted to EUR 214,000.
“VET support for detention facilities in Serbia” (first component) – The goal of the project was to assist the Ministry of Justice in setting up a sustainable and productive VET system in detention facilities in Serbia. Three largest prisons (in Sremska Mitrovica, Nis and Zabela) and over 500 inmates took part in the project. The inmates had a chance to apply for training in welding (argon, arc and CO2 welding), screen printing, manufacturing and assembly of sheet material furniture, baking, as well as training in greenhouse vegetable production. The project’s value stood at EUR 2 million.
“Support for the development of alternative sanctions system in Serbia” (second component) – The goal of the project was to introduce necessary conditions for the establishment of an efficient system of alternative sanctions in the Republic of Serbia and ensure substantial support for the Administration for Execution of Criminal Sanctions in further development of the alternative sanctions system. Among the main institutional beneficiaries of the project were the Department for Treatment and Non-custodial Sanctions and the Administration for Execution of Criminal Sanctions within the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia. The wider target group, inter alia, included: trustees, prison directors, judges and prosecutors as well as NGOs working with offenders. The project ran from September 2011 through September 2013.
Project “A new chance for social inclusion of convicts”
This is the first cross-border cooperation project between a prison in Serbia and the EU. Specifically, the project was implemented in the former County Prison in Pancevo (currently the Detention and Rehabilitation Facility Pancevo) and the Timisoara Prison (Romania).
In the period between May 2017 and May 2018, the convicts in both prison facilities (20 from each prison, 40 in total) underwent training for the production of dry fruits, vegetables and medicinal herbs. The convicts learned how to process several types of fruits and vegetables, such as apple, pear, tomato, garlic and onion, parsley, mint… The fact that it has offered greater employment opportunities and even a chance to start their own family business once they have served the sentence, highlights the critical importance of the project. The project value – EUR 210,000 (main funding secured through IPA funds – 85 percent, while the remaining 15 percent were allocated from the budget of the Republic of Serbia). The plan is to continue with the training of convicts in 2019.
Detention and Rehabilitation Centre for Women in Pozarevac (IPA 2013)
The construction of a ward in the only prison for women in Serbia began in June 2017 thanks to a joint EUR3 million-worth project implemented by the EU and the Ministry of Justice (Administration for Execution of Criminal Sanctions). The ward is designed to host a semi-open, open and misdemeanour department for a maximum of 160 convicts. The European Union has secured EUR 2.6 million, while the Republic of Serbia has allocated EUR 400,000 for the project. Once this phase is finished, the second stage of the project should commence, with the goal to reconstruct the existing building which hosts a closed ward with the capacity of 162 convicts.
Project “Improving capacities within the prison system in the Republic of Serbia” (IPA 2015)
The project, worth around EUR1 million, was aimed at improving the prison system in the Republic of Serbia through the exchange of experience, expertise and good practice developed in EU Member States. The Twinning project ran for 20 months (2017-2019) and was implemented in partnership with Germany and Austria. The project had a tremendous importance for the improvement of professional skills among prison staff, having in mind that the training was underwent by a fourth of all employees in prison security and treatment services – the two largest services in the prison system.
As a result of the work of experts from the European Union and Serbia, 11 manuals for the staff of facilities for execution of criminal sanctions have been produced. The manuals will help them improve their knowledge of working with various groups of convicts, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable categories of inmates (women, minors, LGBT persons, foreign nationals, the elderly, persons with disabilities, etc.).
The project has also encompassed training programmes for instructors. A total of 218 instructors underwent the training programme and will continue to conduct staff training both at their institutions and at the Prison Training Centre in Nis, which is designed to conduct training for all employees of the system. The goal is to strengthen the capacity of the entire system for execution of criminal sanctions, as well as of the Centre in Nis, through training and lectures using the new manuals, in order to ensure the viability of the project for years to come.
Particular attention was paid to education and professional skills development of female convicts at the Centre in Pozarevac. Fifty convicts have undergone training and became certificated hairdressers or nail technicians. The trainings should reduce the chances of recidivism among female convicts, bearing in mind that this particular population is one of the particularly vulnerable groups of persons deprived of liberty.
