UNMIK/PR/1424
PRISTINA – Operational control of the Mitrovica Detention Centre was handed over to a Prison Director from the Kosovo Correctional Service (KCS) by the Head of Penal Management Division William Irvine today. The hand over ceremony was held this morning at the detention centre in Mitrovica, in the presence of PDSRSG Larry Rossin and Director of Justice Thomas Monaghan.
The PDSRSG congratulated the new Prison Director “for demonstrating his professional and personal preparedness to assume the managerial responsibilities of the Detention Centre”.
“The transition in penal management must go on in tandem with that in the police and judiciary, to ensure a balanced growth of all three arms of justice in Kosovo,” PDSRSG Rossin said, “At the same time, as more authority comes to Kosovo institutions, there is a commensurate increase in their responsibility and accountability as expected in a democratic system.”
Referring to the large-scale investments made for major refurbishments in the Kosovo prison infrastructure to meet European Standards, the PDSRSG cautioned against a situation where “criminals are locked up at such huge cost to society with the end result being further criminalisation of the mind through the prison experience”. He said: “The key to preventing such dehumanizing influence of prisons on inmates lies in reinforcing the humanitarian foundations of the Kosovo Correctional Service. Human resources must match up with modern infrastructure.”
Mitrovica Detention Centre is the first Kosovo correctional facility to have a Kosovo Serb Director. UNMIK Civilian Police took responsibility of the Mitrovica Detention Centre from KFOR in October 1999. A year later, in September 2000, the Penal Management Division assumed administrative responsibility of the centre. The detention centre has 59 correctional officers and 62 prisoners.
With today’s hand over, five detention centres are now under the management of the Kosovo Correctional Service. Detention centres in Prizren, Peja/Pec, Pristina and Gjilan/Gnjilane were handed over earlier this year. The remaining two prison facilities are scheduled for handover to the Kosovo Correctional Service by the end of this year.