Developing a modern model of trauma-informed engagement with veterans within Ukraine’s criminal justice system
A meeting of the interdepartmental working group tasked with developing a curriculum for trainers on working with veterans within the criminal justice system was recently held in Kraków (Republic of Poland), attended by Oksana Koval, Director of the Education and Research Centre for Communications at WUNU.
The event took place as part of the Ukrainian-Dutch project ‘A Fair, Transparent and Accountable Criminal Justice System in Ukraine: Phase II’, which forms part of the broader international initiative ‘Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine’ and is being implemented by the Centre for International Legal Cooperation (CILC, Kingdom of the Netherlands), the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHS) and the Centre for Judicial Studies (CJS, Ukraine).
During the meeting, participants discussed approaches to developing a training programme for criminal justice professionals who work with veterans. The discussion focused on the basic principles of trauma-informed communication, inter-agency cooperation and professional support during the resocialisation process, as well as the need to harmonise approaches between different institutions within the justice system and veteran policy. Particular emphasis was placed on issues relating to compliance with ethical standards in interactions with veterans and the role of multidisciplinary teams in providing comprehensive support.
The working group meeting was moderated by Hans van den Berg, Senior Project Manager at the Centre for International Legal Cooperation (CILC). Participants included representatives from the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the State Institution ‘Probation Centre’, the National School of Judges of Ukraine, the National Academy of Internal Affairs, the Advisory and Expert Council under the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Training Centre for Prosecutors of Ukraine, and the Mental Health Centre of the National Rehabilitation Centre ‘UNBROKEN’.
The international expert community was represented by: the Probation Service of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration of Croatia; the Veterans’ Centre in Croatia; a delegation of international experts on psychotherapy, trauma-informed care and support for victims and witnesses in the justice system (Bosnia and Herzegovina); the Ministry of Defence of the Netherlands; the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
