Estonia supports Ukrainian prison service and officer training reform to align with EU standards

This joint Estonian-Ukrainian project aims to create a comprehensive training and internship system for training prison officers. The first phase of the project will be piloted at the Penitentiary Academy of Ukraine in Chernihiv; later, it can be adapted and implemented nationwide. The project focuses on sharing Estonia's experience with similar reforms, developing modern teaching materials and linking theory and practice with the opportunity to intern in Estonian prisons.

“Over the past decades, the Estonian Prison and Probation Service has developed into a modern organisation based on evidence-based methods and data-driven management aligned with European standards. We know what it means to actually implement systemic reforms, and this is exactly the experience we can share with Ukraine. Every step in strengthening the rule of law brings Ukraine closer to the values ​​and practices of European prison work, and we are pleased to be alongside Ukraine in this process,” said Rait Kuuse, head of the Estonian Prison and Probation Service.

A total of 64 Ukrainian prison officials and employees of the Penitentiary Academy of Ukraine from the Chernihiv, Kamianskie, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr regions are participating in the project. 

The updated prison service curriculum developed through the project is based on the standards and recommendations of the European Council and United Nations’ Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules). It equips staff with knowledge and skills in human rights protection, dynamic security, and prison management. With up to 3,000 officers trained annually at the Penitentiary Academy of Ukraine, the project will have a broad impact across the country's prison system.

“I express my sincere gratitude to our Estonian partners for their consistent support in reforming the Ukrainian prison system and promoting the professional development of our prison staff. Your commitment to sharing European experience, developing prison education, and strengthening cooperation will help shape a modern, decent prison system in Ukraine that meets international standards. Together we will create lasting change based on human rights and the rule of law,” said Serhii Hrechaniuk, the rector of the Academy of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine.

In 2024, the European Commission published a report on Ukraine’s accession package as a candidate country, which said that although legal progress has been made in this area and conditions in individual prisons have improved, torture and ill-treatment remain a worrying problem in Ukrainian prisons.

Estonia and Ukraine have jointly identified the need for prison system reform and opportunities for its development in line with EU principles. A joint project, led by the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) and the Estonian Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs, was launched with an initial focus on introducing the principles of the European Prison Framework. This led to a follow-up project aimed at improving the quality of training for prison officers. Within the same framework, a modern curriculum will be developed and implemented that meets European standards.

ESTDEV Executive Director Klen Jäärats said that the implementation of the probation and criminal law reforms, supported by the project, will have a profound socio-economic impact. “Safeguarding human rights in prisons helps reduce repeat offenses, promotes the reintegration of inmates into society and the workforce, and decreases government spending on prisons and social protection,” said Jäärats.

The three-year “Modernisation of the Ukrainian Prison System and the Adoption and Implementation of EU Principles and Norms” project costs 430,000 euros and will run until November 2027.