Conference under project "Improving the quality of the judiciary by strengthening the capacities of prison and probation system and victim and witness support system", co-financed under the European Social Fund

Photo Gallery

The project “Improving the quality of the judiciary by strengthening the capacities of prison and probation system and victim and witness support system” is implemented by the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration and comprises several elements.

Within one element of the project, on 7 October 2022, a conference was held at the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, where the results of an analysis conducted in four penal institutions and proposals for improving business processes and organisation of work in the prison system were presented. The analysis was carried out and prepared by external experts from the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences in cooperation with a working group of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration for the improvement of business processes related to the implementation of the sentence execution programme.

The conference was opened by State Secretary Josip Salapić and Acting Director of the Directorate for Prison System Zvonimir Penić, who welcomed the guests and briefly explained the purpose and objectives of the project as a whole as well as the element related to the improvement of business processes and working conditions of prison and probation system officers as well as of the victim and witness support system.

The head of the project working group, Ms Martina Barić (Central Office for Prison System), gave a short overview of Element 1 of the project and the set project activities and outcomes, as an introduction to the presentation of external experts on the project, Prof. Dr. Irma Kovčo Vukadin and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anita Jandrić Nišević.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irma Kovčo Vukadin presented in detail the content, schedule and outputs of the project activities:

conducting an analysis of jobs and business processes in four penal institutions, related to the implementation of an individual prison sentence execution programme - tasks relating to treatment, security, work and vocational education of prisoners, and healthcare for prisoners;
implementation of a pilot project in four penal institutions (Lepoglava Penitentiary, Požega Penitentiary / Women's Department, Zadar Prison and Zagreb Prison);
development of a proposal for a new, modern organisation of jobs and business processes based on the rehabilitation concept and method of dynamic security, aligned with the needs of the implementation of an individual sentence execution programme, taking into account the professional qualifications and professions of existing employees;
development of a proposal for improving the competences of existing employees and proposals for improving cooperation between departments and employees involved in the implementation of individual prison sentence enforcement programmes.

Based on the conducted analysis and pilot project in four penal institutions, the external experts made 25 recommendations for improvements, relating not only to changes implementable within this project, but also those to bear in mind in the longer-term context of developing and improving the prison system.

In addition to the representatives of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration and the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, the conference was attended by the representatives of courts, the Office of the Ombudswoman, probation offices as well as wardens and employees from all penal institutions.

The project is co-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund