OSCE Presence trains Albania’s prison personnel on human rights compliant management of high-risk prisoners

The OSCE Presence in Albania started a special training seminar for Albania's prison personnel, which aimed to train fifty staff members on how to manage detainees held under the special prison regime in compliance with human rights and freedoms. The seminar is taking place from 30 November to 3 December in Tirana.

The Presence is organizing the event jointly with the Ministry of Justice, the General Directorate of Prisons, and the Office of the People's Advocate (Ombudsperson). Two groups of prison personnel, lasting two days for each group, will participate in the seminar. The seminar builds upon an Assessment Report of the Special Regime for High-Security Prisoners in Albania, which the Presence developed last year.

"I commend how practical this workshop is because it avoids focusing purely on theory. This approach reflects our mandate, which provides support to the host country's clearly identified needs," said Vincenzo Del Monaco, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, opening the workshop. "The legality, necessity and proportionality principles have to be factored in when finding concrete solutions that ensure prison security while respecting the human rights of inmates. Prison work is tough and I take this opportunity to praise the great work that prison staff and police are doing every single day."

The Minister of Justice, Ulsi Manja, and the People's Advocate (Ombudsperson), Erinda Ballanca, attended the event's opening. In their opening remarks, they highlighted the seminar's importance and the need to balance security in prisons with human rights and freedoms of inmates.

The special prison regime was introduced in Albania recently and is based on the relevant Italian model. The special prison regime puts several restrictions on offenders, which might, if improperly or carelessly done, lead to violations of human rights. The OSCE Presence in Albania has already supported the Albanian General Directorate of Prisons in implementing such a regime. The Presence has been actively involved in promoting the rights of people in detention and has contributed to the progressive improvement of conditions in prisons in Albania. The Presence has also played a significant role in the establishment of the Probation Service as an alternative to imprisonment to alleviate overcrowding. The Presence has supported the Probation Service since its inception.