UNMIK/PR/261
UNMIK Dubrava Prison at Istok will receive its first sentenced prisoners tomorrow, 1 June, after partial refurbishment. Dubrava will receive prisoners from all over Kosovo, and all persons sentenced to more than three months imprisonment will serve their time there.
The prison will have a capacity for 520 prisoners when fully operational.
Ms. Sylvie Pantz and Ms. Nekibe Kelmendi as well as other UNMIK officials will visit the prison tomorrow along with Mr. Jari Lohi, Commissioner of Kosovo Correctional Service. The first sentenced prisoners will arrive tomorrow from Peja/Pec and Prizren detention centers and Lipjan Correctional Center. Transfer of other prisoners will happen once a timetable is established.
The Kosovo Correctional Service has employed nearly 400 Kosovars in different penal institutions throughout Kosovo, with 138 in Dubrava. Currently, acting Director William Irvine manages Dubrava prison along with a team of international correctional experts. A recruitment campaign is underway to find additional staff for Dubrava prison and other penal institutions in Kosovo.
The Kosovo Correctional Service, headquartered in Pristina, administers the Prizren Detention Center, Lipjan Correctional Center and Dubrava. Pristina, Gnjilane and Mitrovica detention centers also receive financial and personnel support from the Kosovo Correctional Service.