Prison Reform and Civil Society

Name of Organization	Albanian Helsinki Committee For Human Rights (AHC)
Geographical Scope	Type of Initiatives: Country Regions: Europe and CIS Country: Albania
Purpose	The main purpose of this project is to improve the human's rights situation in pre-detentions sites and prisons and to support prison administration in its efforts for a good management of penitentiary institutions. This project intends to reach the following objectives: Observance of the rights of the pre-detainees and prisoners and also the implementation of the international standards related to the pre-detention sites and prisons conditions Improvement of conditions in pre-detentions sites and prisons through recommendations that AHC will offer to the prison administration Assessment of the measures undertaken by the Albanian authorities in the framework of the prison reform. Facilitating and supporting the efforts of the Albanian Prison Administration in improving prison management by adequate training of senior prison staff of the two pilot prisons. Strengthening the role of the AHC as an important actor of civil society in the promotion of human rights and rule of law in Albania in general, and prison reform in particular. The Albanian Helsinki Committee carries out researches also on the free and the appointed bar service in criminal cases.
Area of Governance	Civil Society Justice
Website of initiative	http://www.ahc.org.al/anglisht/ahc.htm
Publications	Report on the Second Working Session Offered to the Albanian Prison Administration in the Framework of the Operational Assistance Press Report: On the table of experts 'On the International Criminal Court and the implementation of the Rome Statute in Albania' organized by Albanian Helsinki Committee Press Report: On the research of Albanian Helsinki Committee about the free and the appointed bar service in criminal cases. http://www.ahc.org.al/anglisht/ahc.htm (projects)
Funding sources	Swedish Helsinki Committee
Source of Data	Using a combination of own and existing data
Type of Data Collection	Administrative Data Focus groups In depth interviews Panel of experts Performance assessment / Desk studies Random sample population survey Secondary sources
specifications of type of data collection	The AHC will organize a round of monitoring missions in prisons and pre-detention sites to observe how the prisoners and the pre-detainees are treated and how their rights are respected by the prison administration.
Measurement Methods / Tools Generated or Used	The organization uses both quantitative and qualitative measurement methods. The research on the free and appointed bar service in criminal cases uses the polling method with arrested people, condemned people, prosecutors, judges and defense lawyers. Interviews were carried out with: 60 defense lawyers, 350 arrested and convicted people, 47 prosecutors and judges at the Prosecutor''s Office in Tirana, judges of the judicial district of Tirana, pre-detainees from the Pre-Detention Institution, condemned people from the prison as well as defense lawyers exercising their activity in Tirana.
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Main Outcomes (Products)
Main Users	Civil society Donor agencies International agencies Media Policy makers Researchers

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