KPZ Sremska Mitrovica
KPZ Sremska Mitrovica („KPZ“ is the abbreviation of Kazneno popravni zavod and means penal correctional institution in Serbian) is one of the 29 penal institutions in Serbia. Founded in 1899. and located in the city of Sremska Mitrovica it is the biggest institution of that type in the country, with the capacity of around 2.000 prisoners. It is also important to note that our prison is the only one in the country that has international character which means that foreign citizens who commit crimes in Serbia are sent there to serve their sentence. The prison consists of closed, half-open, and open departments. There is a hippodrome within the institution and also two commercial hotels, which are managed by the administration of the prison.
The essence of our work is to provide efficient treatment measures for incarcerated population in order to increase the probability of their rehabilitation and consequently reduce the rate of criminal relapses. After we determine the relevant aspects of the personality of every prisoner in terms of their risk, capacities they got, and needs they have, the individualized treatment program is being made. That program includes inter alia, a description of activities, goals, and tasks they should undergo in order to satisfy, in a more prosocial way, their criminal needs. As we are the institution that keeps up with modern penal treatment trends, numerous activities are offered to prisoners. In order to acquire or develop their work habits or skills, based on their competencies, numerous work opportunities are offered (jobs in wood and mechanical drive, electrical department, trailer production, agricultural jobs, etc.). Also, educational activities are being provided so people who have not finished primary or middle school, can do this while serving their sentence.
Yet the most significant impact in the process of rehabilitation is made through providing specialized treatment programs that are targeting behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, violent behavior, etc. The purpose of these programs is to achieve psychological impact on prisoners in terms of changing the way of their thinking, reasoning, and problems solving. Also, the program we are very proud of is the one based on the interaction between men and dogs, which aims to enhance empathy, self-control, and motivation for self-change by prisoners. This program is provided with dogs from a dog shelter which is located whiting the prison.
The free time in our prison is also well structured. Prisoners can take part in literary or art workshops and if they are more up to sport, there are numerous football, basketball, tennis, and volleyball fields. In the past time, we have organized more than 150 sports tournaments. One of the most important sports manifestations took place on the 25th of May 2022. When the prisoners played against veterans of FK Red Star.