OSCE Mission to Serbia promotes innovative approach to rehabilitation and resettlement of prisoners
The OSCE Mission to Serbia and the Sremska Mitrovica Correctional Institution organized an Open Doors Day in the dog shelter of the Sremska Mitrovica penitentiary on 22 June 2018 to promote innovative ways for rehabilitation and resettlement of offenders.
The Open Doors Day is part of the project supported by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and implemented by the Ministry of Justice’s Directorate for Enforcement of Criminal Sanctions, the City of Sremska Mitrovica, and the German relief organization Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V.
At the event, the first group of 14 inmates received certificates of completion of a ten-week training programme during which they learned how to care for and train dogs. The carefully designed, comprehensive programme is meant to improve the education prospects of offenders, and to prepare them for re-integration into society after release.
The inmates also earned a certificate issued by the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, which is required for all employees of animal shelters and will increase their employment prospects after release. The project is modelled on a similar one successfully implemented by the Scottish Prison Service/University of Stirling Psychology School.
“I am very happy to see that the project we support has managed to achieve its key goals: to provide offenders with the opportunity to participate in meaningful activities, improve behaviour and employability skills, as well as to enhance educational and community engagement. Based on the principle of local ownership, the OSCE Mission will continue to work in partnership with the host country on improvement of rehabilitation and resettlement of prisoners,” stated Ambassador Andrea Orizio, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia.
The event is part of the OSCE Mission to Serbia’s wider efforts to support Serbia’s initiatives aimed at improving the rule of law and performance of the criminal justice system, including the enforcement of criminal sanctions.