Research report has been published on the topic “The impact of prison environment and quality of prison life of employed male inmates in Dubrava prison and female inmates in Lipjan”

Vushtrri, 20 December 2017 -Today, at the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety (KAPS) was published the research report on the topic “The impact of prison environment and quality of prison life of employed male inmates in Dubrava Prison and female inmates in Lipjan”, which was  done by Ferid Azemi professor at Faculty of Public Safety  and Nebih Halili from the Kosovo Correctional Service.

The purpose of the research was to understand the life of prisoners at Dubrava Prison and at Lipjan Prison.

This presentation was attended by General Director of Kosovo Academy for Public Safety Ismail Smakiqi, acting General Director of Kosovo Correctional Service, Sokol Zogaj, General Director of the Albanian Prison Police Nazmi Demirci, Dean of the Faculty of Public Safety Bejtush Gashi, representatives from the Ombudsperson , Kosovo Police, Kosovo Police Inspectorate, OSCE, EULEX, UNICEF, Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms  (CDHRF), Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS) Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (KRCT) etc.

General Director of Kosovo Academy for Public Safety Ismail Smakiqi while welcoming the participants praised that thanks to a close commitment and cooperation the Academy and the Faculty of Public Safety are functioning in the best possible way.

"Today is a special day since the field of research has begun, one of the responsibilities set out in the law of the Academy which is defined in Article 13, point 1.3. which states that 'the Academy functions as a research institution in the field of public safety, but not limited to research in the field of training development and higher education for public safety' ", said Smakiqi.

Director Smakiqi said that the Academy in cooperation with public safety agencies is fulfilling its responsibilities in exchanging their scientific information rules in the field of safety, not limited to research, publications, periodical magazine, congresses, seminars and conferences.

Congratulating professors of the Faculty of Public Safety for this research Director Smakiqi said that scientific research in the field of safety is an indispensable condition for the sustainable development of study programs at the Academy starting from basic vocational to master and doctoral programs that are expected to open soon.
"The Researches will serve us for the continuous improvement of the services that the employees provide in law enforcement institutions," Smakiqi said.

Director Smakiqi also praised that with the publication of this research the Academy is also approaching the moment of functionalization of the "Research and Development Institute" which is foreseen by the regulation on internal organization and systematization of the workplaces of the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety.

Meanwhile, Dean of the Faculty of Public Safety Bejtush Gashi spoke to the participants about the functioning of the Faculty and for the role of the Institute for Research and Development.
"The Duties and Responsibilities of the Institute for Research and Development are; conducting and managing scientific research and supporting academic staff in their research activities, supporting academic staff and students in research and methodology of scientific research, leading the process of drafting the Academy's development plan and supporting other units in the process, drafting project proposals and applying for external funding for research and development projects in the field of security, cooperation with other research institutions and development of higher education and public security agencies ", said Gashi adding that the institute has a mission to produce scientific results that create the opportunity for better understanding of public security issues and advancing the debate on public safety, social and human sciences.

Dean Gashi speaking about the work and engagement of the teachers of the Faculty of Public Safety estimated that 2017 is successfully concluded.

"In essence, scientific research activity is an activity for solving theoretical and practical problems as well as achieving new knowledge in the relevant field. So research can be defined as a process for solving cognitive and practical problems which has certain phases such as preparatory phase, design, instrument development, realization of research, processing and analysis of data etc ", said Gashi

Whereas acting General Director of Kosovo Correctional Service, Sokol Zogaj, evaluating positively this research said that such research should be continued.
"This is a contribution and initiative to research where it is good for others to continue. I consider it as a good research, although I think that in the future there will be even better substantial   research papers", said Zogaj.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Council for Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms, Behxhet Shala Congratulated the professors for their efforts to conduct such a research while giving remarks that according to him the research is not complete. “I congratulate you for your efforts to do a research, this research still needs to be worked on and completed", said Shala .

The Research was also praised by the General Director of the Albanian Prison Police Nazmi Demirci, giving comments about the content of the research praised the Faculty of Public Safety and professors for research.
 For the research report on the life of prisoners in Kosovo prisons comments were also given by representatives of non-governmental organizations Vesa Kelmendi from Kosovo Centre for Security Studies and Alban Muriqi from Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (KRCT).

Evaluations and contribution in the presentation of this research were also given by students of the Faculty of Public Safety.

According to the recommendations given in the research it is stated that the implementation and investment of rehabilitation programs (psychotherapy, group therapy, etc.) the functioning of a trained group for the proper classification of persons admitted to the prison in Dubrava, providing adequate or special health care for the particular categories of prisoners, addressing the issue of the existence of subcultures at Lipjan Correctional Center, continuing training in professional upgrading and professional ethics of correctional staff, additional engagement of appropriate social workers who work seriously with prisoners and investing in the awareness of the prisoners and providing opportunities for prisoners in post-criminal life.