Kosovo Correctional Service to integrate Council of Europe methodology for managing violent extremist offenders

Kosovo Correctional Service (KCS) has taken further steps toward integrating the Council of Europe’s methodology for working with violent extremist offenders (VEOs), bringing together prison practitioners, management representatives and experts to prepare for full scale implementation across the system.  

At a working group meeting and a dedicated workshop held on 2-3 December in Istog, Kosovo*, participants discussed ways to align the tools and programmes with day-to-day operational procedures. The VEO-specific tools and programmes were developed with the support of the Council of Europe and have undergone successful validation through the piloting in High Security Prison and Dubrava Prison in 2024, proving its usefulness, functionality and applicability within context of Kosovo Correctional Service.  

In addition, the KCS non-medical prison practitioners were introduced to the “Guidelines for Assessment of Mental Health of violent extremist prisoners (VEPs), and prisoners vulnerable to radicalisation” and further trained for application of the “Screening Tool for Early Recognition of Signs of Mental Issues”, developed with support from the EU and Council of Europe. From a multi-disciplinary stand, the practitioners enhanced their skills to detect, prevent, and properly response to prisoners with mental health issues, thereby improving their readiness to apply the Screening Tool for Early Recognition of Mental Health Issues in daily work for timely detection and referral to medical professionals.