Justice ministers of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina visit the newly-constructed prison in Pančevo

Serbia’s Justice Minister Nela Kuburović and Justice Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Josip Grubeša visited the newly-constructed correctional-prison facility (CPF) in Pančevo which is to start running by the end of the year. While visiting the new prison and detention premises, Serbia’s Justice Minister said that the new CPF was in the ranks of the most modern closed-type prisons in Serbia with the capacity to house 500 persons deprived of liberty.

Kuburović explained that the prison complex comprised 10 buildings of 24,000 square metres in total and that it was constructed within two years with the Council of Europe Development Bank’s resources. She added that the new CPF would staff 250 people, 170 of which would be newly recruited. Kuburović also noted that the procedure for the recruitment of 120 new members of the Security Services Department had been conducted in June, that another for the filling of vacant posts in the Health Care Department and the HR Training and Recruitment Department was underway, and that an additional one for recruitment in the Prisoner Treatment Department and the General Services Department was going to be advertised by the end of the month.

The Justice Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina noted that one of the reasons for his visit to Serbia was that he familiarises himself with the new prison’s technical and organisational conditions considering that the first state prison, which was to house more than 350 persons deprived of liberty, was soon to be opened in Sarajevo. Grubeša explained that Serbia’s experiences, i.e. the work commencement of the new Pančevo prison, were very important for the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina given that the prison was by structure and function very similar to the future prison in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Minister Grubeša also announced that the procedure for the recruitment of staff for the first state prison in Sarajevo would soon be initiated in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the visit, the Justice Ministers concurred that the Ministries of Justice of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina had a solid cooperation at all levels.