The Ministry of Justice has launched a reform of the penitentiary system
The Ministry of Justice is launching a reform of the penitentiary service, which will bring the correctional system in Ukraine into line with European standards. This was announced today during a joint board meeting of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal Affairs by the First Deputy Minister of Justice, Natalia Sevostianova.
“For 75 years, the standards for the functioning of penal institutions have not changed in this country and in the country that existed before it. I probably will not ‘discover America for you’ by showing the horrific conditions in some penal institutions and pre-trial detention centres. Some of them were built back in the 18th century. This is not even a Soviet legacy; this is a legacy of the Russian Empire. Should we do something about this? We must do it immediately!”, – emphasised Natalia Sevostianova.
One of the main innovations of the reform will be the launch of a probation service.
“The service will focus on ensuring that a person completes a specific probation programme after they leave the penal institution. This includes anger management, assistance with employment, and the acquisition of additional skills”,
– reported Natalia Sevostianova.
Also, a key element of the reform should be the demilitarisation of the penal execution system.
“Our focus is to demilitarise, at the first stage, the large apparatus that works not in the colonies, but deals with paperwork and has a much higher salary than those who deal with prisoners. Therefore, we plan to reduce the 77% of people who have shoulder straps today to 28%. They will become civil servants who will develop approaches for managing the penal execution system”, – noted the First Deputy Minister of Justice. At the same time, she added that the process of demilitarisation will enable the system to set a course for the resocialisation of prisoners.
According to her, within the framework of the reform, the staff will undergo re-certification through the centres where the new police underwent re-certification. At the same time, thanks to the reduction in personnel, the salaries of the employees will be increased.
“In each region, there is an administration that has no direct connection to the work in the colony, in which 80-90 people work. They are only engaged in paperwork. Out of 24 such administrations, we are leaving 5. This makes it possible to increase salaries with the saved funds”, – she remarked.
Natalia Sevostianova also presented 2 pilot projects, the implementation of which the Ministry of Justice is ready to start in the near future.
“Our colleagues from Norway have decided on their desire to support the comprehensive reform of the system in one specifically designated region. The 2nd element is the beginning of a public-private partnership. We are already looking for an investor who will build a new pre-trial detention centre outside of Kyiv to replace the Lukianivske one”, – concluded Natalia Sevostianova.