At the Regional Conference "Organized Crime in Prisons - Strengthening Integrity, Intelligence Capacities and Cooperation in Southeast Europe", Minister of Justice, Jeton Shasivari, emphasized in his address that the fight against organized crime and corruption in prisons is one of the priorities in the reform of the penitentiary system.
" Criminal networks know no borders. They communicate across borders, exploit the weaknesses of institutions and connect their activities in multiple countries. Therefore, our response must be regional. We need faster and more efficient exchange of intelligence information, better coordination between institutions, joint assessments of security and corruption risks and joint capacity building of our penitentiary systems," said Minister Shasivari.
In the past period, specific measures have been taken to strengthen the system – 100 new officials have been hired, specialized anti-corruption trainings have been introduced, and prison intelligence units have been established in Idrizovo, Shtip, Prilep and Skopje Prison.
In parallel, work is underway to professionalize the management of the prison system by preparing legal amendments that would allow experienced professionals from the system to take over management positions in the prison police.
In terms of improving conditions, 25 million euros have been provided for the construction of facilities in the Idrizovo Penitentiary, as part of a project worth 46 million euros, with the aim of creating safer and more appropriate conditions in accordance with European standards.
The Minister of Justice, Jeton Shasivari, pointed out that strengthening probation and electronic monitoring is an important part of modern penitentiary policy. In 2025, the first verdict for house arrest with electronic monitoring was rendered, and 11 court decisions have been issued to apply this measure so far.
"No country can tackle organized crime alone. We need faster intelligence sharing, better coordination, and joint capacity building. The security of our region is a shared responsibility," said Minister Shasivari.
