OSCE Presence in Albania offers seminar for judges and prosecutors on alternatives to imprisonment

SHKODRA, Albania, 30 October - A seminar for judges and prosecutors on the use of sentences that do not involve imprisonment, organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania in co-operation with the School of Magistrates and the UNICEF, concluded today in the northwestern Albanian city of Shkodra.

The training course followed new Criminal Code amendments that provide for more alternatives to imprisonment, such as probation, and for an office to supervise such sentences.

Speaking from his office today, the Head of the OSCE Presence, Ambassador Robert Bosch said: "The probation service is a positive step that will reduce overcrowding in prisons. Unnecessary imprisonments should be avoided as they carry high financial and social costs. This seminar aimed to make sentencing practices more efficient and uniform and to clarify the newly adopted legislation for judges and prosecutors."

The seminar focused on how probation services work and how judges and prosecutors can co-operate with probation officers. A German judge and a German probation officer presented best practices from EU countries as a possible model for Albania.

A similar seminar took place earlier in Tirana, and further seminars will be held next month in the Vlora and Gjirokastra regions.

The seminars are part of joint efforts by international organizations to provide technical assistance to Albania's judicial reform. These efforts also have included support to the Justice Ministry in developing probation services, including legislation drafting assistance, support to probation trainers and officers and the creation of a manual for probation officers.