Work on programmes for rehabilitation, reintegration and preparation of violent extremist prisoners for release started in Kosovo*
What are the current disengagement and deradicalization programmes for convicted terrorists in the EU, what methodologies and models of change? What are the relevant Council of Europe standards and recommendations on working with violent extremist offenders (VEOs) vis-à-vis the protection of their human rights? What model suits the needs and context of Kosovo best? What can be learned from the reintegration and pre-release practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its first results? These were just a few among many issues discussed at the 1st project Working Group meeting for Kosovo held on 26-27 October 2023. The Working Group members and observers including representatives of the Kosovo Correction Service and the Kosovo Probation Service, articulated the main challenges they face in daily work when managing the rehabilitation path of a VEO, preparing their transition from the life in prison to the life in the community, and identified the main preconditions to making this transition successful. The need for multi-agency co-operation in reintegration was unanimously acknowledged, however, the Working Group members have emphasised the essential preconditions for such co-operation, such as: a joint database as a mechanism for information exchange between the agencies involved, the use of a standard risk assessment tool by the police, correction and probation services, enhancing human resource capacities of the correctional, probation and social welfare service, early involvement of and communication with the host community in preparation for release of VEOs. Based on the discussion, an outline of the rehabilitation, reintegration and pre-release programme was proposed as a framework to be further developed by the Beneficiary with the support of the Council of Europe. The activity took place under the Beneficiary-specific component of the action “Enhancing co-operation in the Western Balkans in managing violent extremism in prisons and preventing further radicalisation after release”, implemented under auspices of the Horizontal Facility Programme and its third phase, co-funded by EU and CoE and implemented by the Council of Europe.
