[prisoner-rights] Turkey: Usak E-type prison in line with European standards

Strasbourg, 06.02.2007 -- A model prison in U.ak will be inaugurated on 8 
February 2007 at 14.00, with a press event at the prison organised jointly 
by the Council of Europe, the European Commission Delegation to Turkey and 
the Turkish Ministry of Justice. Ahmet Hamsici, the Deputy-Undersecretary 
of the Ministry of Justice, Michael Vögele of the EC Delegation, and Leyla 
Kayac.k, Head of the Council of Europe Project office in Ankara, will make 
speeches at the event. 

The remodelled prison is part of a .10.7 million EU-funded project - the 
Judicial Modernisation and Penal Reform Programme -- to support the reform 
process of the judiciary and penal systems in Turkey. The project was 
implemented jointly by the Council of Europe and the Turkish Ministry of 
Justice and sought to enhance Turkish compliance with European standards 
within the context of the EU accession process. The model E-type Prison of 
U.ak, together with the similar prison in Elaz.. (see our press release 
041a07 ), is now functioning in line with international norms and European 
standards. 

The development of human resources, the establishment of a modern prison 
management system in compliance with the European standards and the 
improvement of physical conditions in the prison system were the main aims 
of the programme. The governor and the staff of U.ak prison have undergone 
specific training to create a model for replication in the entire penal 
system. Special importance has been attached not only to the physical 
conditions within the prison but also to the attitudes and behaviour of 
employees. 

Workshops, the creation of facilities for social activities and the 
successful implementation of an .Anger Management Programme. have already 
considerably reduced disciplinary offences and the need for extra security 
measures. Significant progress has been made within the Prison Management 
component of the programme in improving prison management. 

Concrete tools such as a .Prison Management Manual. for prison governors 
and a .Prison Doctors Handbook. for medical staff have been developed. 
Handbooks on prison rules and the rights of prisoners have been published 
in Turkish, English, German and French to be distributed to both Turkish 
and foreign prisoners. Equipment and tools have been procured for the 
delivery of vocational training to inmates in U.ak. 

Based on this successful experience, the Turkish government is planning to 
disseminate the results of this project throughout the country to ensure 
that the Turkish penal execution system is broadly in line with modern 
European standards. 

Council of Europe Press Division 
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60 
Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11 
pressunit@coe.int 
www.coe.int/press