Discussion of the Concept and monitoring visits at the Department

The International Society for Human Rights – Ukrainian Section (ISHR-US) held a training seminar on 13 October, with the support of the department, titled “Draft Concept of the State Programme for the Development of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine for the period up to 2015. Possibilities for improving national legislation regarding the prevention of unlawful treatment of convicts in institutions of the CES of Ukraine”. The training took place within the framework of the project “Sustainable development of national preventive mechanisms against torture and ill-treatment in Ukraine”.
Participants discussed the draft Concept of the state programme for the development of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine for the period up to 2015 and expressed numerous comments.
Considerable attention was also given to a discussion on the creation of a monitoring mechanism in the penitentiary system.
The training seminar was attended by the Deputy Head of the Department for the Execution of Sentences, Oleksandr Oleksiyovych Duka; the Head of the Administration for Ensuring Interaction with the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Petro Vasylovych Kocherhan; the Deputy Director of the International Renaissance Foundation, Oleksandr Vasylovych Betsa; specialists of the department; representatives of non-governmental organisations involved in the project; and experts on penitentiary issues Valentyna Badira, Oleksandr Bukalov, Oleksandr Kolb, and others.
The results of the seminar-training will be taken into account in the further development of the Concept and in carrying out measures for monitoring penal institutions.