UNMIK/PR/1019
Thursday, 7 August 2003

New Lipjan Detention Centre inaugurated

PRISTINA – A new detention centre was inaugurated at Lipjan today jointly by the Deputy SRSG for Police and Justice Jean-Christian Cady and Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi. The detention centre, due to become operational in September 2003, is built to European standards and is designed to house 240 detainees.

Congratulating the staff of the Penal Management Division (PMD) for their exemplary performance, DSRSG / Police & Justice Jean-Christian Cady said, “Prisons must be safe. And this one is built to be safe. But prisons must also facilitate the rehabilitation of prisoners into society after they have served their term…detention facilities should serve as centres of social ‘inclusion’ not of social ‘exclusion’… We would like our prisons to become a model for the Balkans.”

Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi gave away the graduation certificates to 10 members of the Kosovo Correctional Service (KCS) who are the first to be promoted to the rank of Deputy Directors. The KCS founded in November 1999 now has a staff of about 1400 that is progressively taking over operational responsibilities at correctional facilities throughout Kosovo. The recently established Dog Section of PMD/KCS put up a demonstration of guard dogs during the inauguration ceremony.

Established in October 1999, the PMD had a difficult task with detention centres in poor condition and offering insufficient cell capacity. By mobilising generous foreign donations, the PMD has been able to restore each detention centre to an operational level and has improved overall security standards. Today, the PMD is responsible for 7 correctional institutions: 5 detention centres in Pristina, Mitrovica, Prizren, Gnjilane and Pec/Peja; 2 Prisons in Dubrava and Lipljan. The Lipljan Detention Centre will be the 8th correctional institution under PMD.

The current prisoner population of in Kosovo is 1200, with a capacity of 1382.

Following up on the Conditional Release Commission established in October 2002 with the mandate to authorize the conditional release of prisoners who have served at least half of their sentence, the PMD is currently developing a Probation Service to implement alternative sanctions, such as suspended sentences with community work service, to be served in the community, which are set out in the new Provisional Criminal Codes.

Several initiatives have been taken for the welfare and eventual rehabilitation of prisoners including psychiatric care, development of education, vocational training, life skills, literacy, recreational activities and work programs for inmates in all facilities.