AKIPRESS.COM - The British penitentiary system and prison reform were the focus of an OSCE-supported working visit to the United Kingdom that concluded in London today, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat reported.

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in co-operation with Penal Reform International (PRI), an international non-governmental organization, organized the visit to provide high level law-enforcement officials from Turkmenistan with an opportunity to learn about best practices and new developments in prison management in the United Kingdom, a country that is continuously undertaking efforts to improve its penitentiary system.

The OSCE encourages its participating States to take measures to reform their prison systems to ensure adequate conditions for inmates and full respect of their human rights, said Ambassador Ivo Petrov, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. The visit it expected to contribute to the Turkmen government’s efforts to further improve its penitentiary system and bring relevant legislation in line with international standards and OSCE commitments, he added.

The delegation visited the PRI office. the offices of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons and the National Offender Management Service, and a number of prisons. The agenda of the visit included not only practical visits but also training sessions, presentations and roundtable discussions.

The participants had an opportunity to discuss PRI’s work including current programmes on torture prevention and death penalty abolition, complaints and inspections mechanisms, criminal justice issues and penal reform, as well as rehabilitation of offenders and best practices in the area of drug treatment in prisons.

The week-long visit was fully funded by the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Turkmenistan.