Prison staff training in Tajikistan: incorporating Nelson Mandela’s rules

UNODC’s mission is to contribute to achieving security and justice for all by making the world safer from crime, drugs and terrorism.

One of the important objectives of prison staff is to contribute to public safety through the safe, secure and humane handling of suspects and offenders and to provide opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration. Training prison staff is essential to enable them to mitigate potential threats in prison and find solutions for dealing with challenges in prison in general. UNODC’s approach to supporting the correctional system is underpinned by international norms and standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 1948) and the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules). On 18 – 20 July 2022, UNODC held a three-day workshop in Dushanbe (Tajikistan) on training curricula for prison staff and the Nelson Mandela Rules. The workshop aimed to review the current training curriculum for prison staff and elaborate on the institutionalization of the UNODC e-learning course on the Nelson Mandela Rules into the regular training curriculum for prison staff. Twenty correctional officers attended the workshop.

“Capacity building is particularly important for prison staff working with prisoners convicted of extremism and terrorism. Improving the skills of our staff to organize the work with these groups of prisoners more effectively is our priority. We are confident that today’s workshop, which allows an exchange of views on various challenges facing the correctional system, will be useful for the participants, and will also provide the opportunity to develop recommendations for further cooperation and exchange of best practices ”, said Mr Furkat. Akbarov, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sentences under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan, at the opening of the workshop.

“The work and focus on identifying and improving the curriculum by the UNODC team, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice in Tajikistan, will deliver high-quality results and improve the ability of prison staff in Tajikistan to collaborate effectively and successfully to work with foreign terrorists. fighters and violent extremist prisoners,” said Ms Bridgette Walker, Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Dushanbe in her welcome address.

“It is not merely a coincidence that we are starting this workshop today, on Nelson Mandela Day. The Nelson Mandela Rules are a guideline for the establishment of safe and humane prisons around the world that properly rehabilitate and prevent individuals from reoffending. These rules provide a strong, principled foundation on which prison systems can best meet the needs of prisoners and the security of the nation,” she added.

The workshop was delivered in a hybrid format and offered theoretical and practical sessions. The sessions were delivered by Torben Adams, Shah Salman Khan, Jörg Lorenz, Batyr Saparbaev and Myrzabek Tuiganov – international experts with extensive experience in criminal justice, human rights and security, prison system management, prison staff training and curriculum design.

Torben Adams, UNODC International Program Coordinator, thanked the Government of Tajikistan for its commitment to the joint detention program for returning foreign terrorist fighters in the country and all related initiatives. He also expressed his gratitude to the US Government for the financial support that made it possible to work in partnership on the important issues of prison safety and security, and on the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners.

“In our shared mission to ‘leave no one behind’ we cannot forget prisoners and those charged with their custody and care. On Nelson Mandela Day, we are sending a strong message in this regard – a message that reiterates the need to ensure the continued observance of human rights behind bars and the need to treat prisoners in accordance with their human dignity and to prepare effectively of them upon their release make an essential contribution to public safety and the cohesion of societies,” he noted.

During the workshop, participants learned about the Nelson Mandela Rules, national and international training curricula for prison staff, core competencies required for prison staff working with violent extremist prisoners and foreign terrorist fighters, the special needs of female violent extremist prisoners and youth recruits and exploited. by violent extremist groups. They also acquired knowledge and skills in the process of curriculum design and associated management techniques in some jurisdictions, with an emphasis on the DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) method.

They had a specific discussion about the selection and recruitment process for staff working in prisons, and the induction and further training that should be offered to staff working in prisons.

On the final day of the workshop, participants made recommendations on the design, implementation and institutionalization of an in-service training curriculum for prison staff dedicated to the management of high-risk prisoners, including prisoners of terrorists and foreign terrorist fighters, and proposed for suggestions on institutionalizing the UNODC e-learning course on the Nelson Mandela Rules into the regular training program for prison staff in Tajikistan.

After the workshop, the participants received a certificate. They thanked UNODC and trainers for the high quality of the workshop.

The workshop was conducted within the framework of the UNODC Global Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters Detention Program and the UNODC Central Asia Program 2022-2025. The UNODC Global Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters Detention Program is funded by the Counterterrorism Bureau of the United States Department of State.

The program in Tajikistan aims to enhance national capacity to manage the threats posed by foreign terrorist fighters through technical assistance to law enforcement, correction and judicial authorities, in accordance with the relevant standards of international law.

It’s a matter of doing it

For more information please contact:

Nurangez Abdulhamidova

Communications and External Relations Officer

UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia

Email: nurangez.abdulhamidova(at)un.org