This symbolic race has once again brought together numerous participants with the aim of sensitising the public and highlighting the importance of community support in the rehabilitation and resocialisation of people with a criminal past.
Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation Damir Habijan said it was important to send a message that people who have made a mistake in their lives, after serving their sentence and returning to society, should not have to cope for years with the stigma of their past.
‘This is not only a matter of persons deprived of liberty, i.e. prisoners, but also of their families and children, who unfortunately often share the stigma. That is why it is important to work on the rehabilitation and resocialisation of those people and to prepare them as well as possible for a normal life following their sentence’, said Minister Habijan.
He added that the work of all officers and employees within the judicial system and the judicial police was particularly important in this process, as their goal is to contribute as much as possible to the rehabilitation and resocialisation of prisoners.
Following the first race, held in Gospić in September 2024, and the second, in Zagreb in March 2025, this year's event confirmed the importance of opening a discussion on stereotypes faced by former convicts. The race also served to raise awareness of the importance of jobs in the prison and probation system and their role in improving the security of the entire society.
About 250 runners participated in the Zagreb race, while another 150 odd runners participated in the races held in other correctional facilities. The included persons deprived of liberty, probationers, judicial police officers and prison officers, probation officers, judges, the Minister and representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, representatives of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children and the Ombudsperson for Persons with Disabilities, representatives of embassies, prominent athletes, academics and representatives of non-governmental organisations.
Simultaneously with the Zagreb race, races were held on the outer premises of penitentiaries in Lepoglava, Požega, Glina and Lipovica-Popovača and the Turopolje Reformatory, where prison officers and inmates ran together.
The event was organised by the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation in cooperation with the Zagreb Boxing Club.
'We want to make society aware that persons deprived of liberty who are serving their prison sentence will one day be released. Will they get out as better or worse people? We need to work on enabling them to get out better, and that is why they need our support', said Stjepan Božić.
In addition to Stjepan Božić, the race was supported by numerous other prominent athletes and public figures, including Željka Šaban Miličić, Ivica Kostelić, Martin Sinković, Josip Pavić, Bono Bošnjak, Stipe Pletikosa, Zvonimir Boban, Goran Vlaović, Josip Varvodić, Božo Starčević, Marko Milanović, Mladen Mikolčević and Tarik Filipović.