Training Prison Staff in Tajikistan: Incorporating the Nelson Mandela Rules

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

One of the important goals of correctional services personnel is to contribute to public safety through the safe and humane treatment of suspects and offenders and the provision of opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration. Training prison staff is critical to enabling them to mitigate potential threats in prison and find solutions to address prison challenges overall. UNODC’s approach to supporting the penal system is based on 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). From July 18 to 20, 2022, UNODC conducted a three-day workshop on training curricula for prison officers and the Nelson Mandela Rules in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The aim of the workshop was to review the current prison officer curriculum and explain the institutionalization of the UNODC e-learning course on the Nelson Mandela Rules into the regular prison officer curriculum. Twenty corrections system officials attended the workshop.

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

“The work and focus that the UNODC team, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice in Tajikistan, puts on defining and improving the curriculum will deliver high quality results and improve the ability of prison officials in Tajikistan to work effectively and successfully with foreign terrorists. “Fighters and violent extremist prisoners,” said Ms. Bridgette Walker, Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Dushanbe, in her welcoming remarks.

“It is no coincidence that this workshop starts today, on Nelson Mandela Day. The Nelson Mandela Rules are a guide to establishing safe and humane prisons around the world that properly rehabilitate people and prevent them from re-offending. These rules provide a strong, principled foundation upon which prison systems can best meet the needs of prisoners and the security of the country,” she added.

The workshop was conducted 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 Coordinator for International Programs, thanked the Government of Tajikistan for its commitment to the joint program to detain returning foreign terrorist fighters in the country and all related initiatives. He also thanked the US Government for financial support, which enabled partnership working on the important issues of prison safety and security, as well as prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration.

“In our shared mission to leave no one behind, we must not forget prisoners and those entrusted with their care and care. On Nelson Mandela Day, we send a strong message in this spirit – a message that reiterates the need to continue to ensure respect for human rights behind bars and that it is important to treat prisoners in accordance with their human dignity and “Effectively prepare them for their release. They make a significant contribution to public security and the cohesion of societies,” he emphasized.

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

They had a detailed discussion on the selection and recruitment process for prison staff, as well as the induction and training measures that should be provided for prison staff.

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

After the workshop was completed, certificates were presented to participants. They thanked UNODC and the 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 U.S. Department of State’s Counterterrorism Bureau.

The program in Tajikistan aims to improve national capacity to address threats posed by foreign terrorist fighters through technical assistance to law enforcement, penal and judicial authorities in accordance with relevant norms of international law.

This stand is in Russian

For further information please contact:

Nurangez Abdulhamidova

Communications and External Relations Officer

UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia

Email: nurangez.abdulhamidova[at]un.org