The Director of the Kosovo Correctional Service, Ismail Dibrani, says that in the fall of 2027, the first prisoners from the Danish state will be accepted.

He announced that the training of the first group of staff on the rules of the Danish prison system has begun. In an interview with KosovaPress, he emphasized that they have no interest in agreements with other countries for the transfer of prisoners to Kosovo.

He also talks about cases of preventing smuggling within prisons, but also the involvement of correctional officers in these cases.

In this interview, director Ismail Dibrani emphasizes that Rasim Selmani will be the director of the prison in Gjilan, and also announces that the governor has also been elected from the Danish state.

"It is the fall of 2027 when the first prisoners from the Danish state will be accepted. So the technical groups of the two states are closely cooperating there, because two steering committees have been established by the state of Kosovo and the state of Denmark, which are drafting plans for how this prison will function. Staff training has begun, because you know that Danish house rules will be respected there, the training of the first group has begun... Most of the staff who will work in this prison will be trained in Denmark according to the rules and the Danish prison system. In addition to the aspect of benefiting from the best practices of the Danish system, we will have the opportunity to implement these practices in other prisons, those practices that are also in accordance with our legislation," he declares.

Dibrani says that this prison will not house very high-risk prisoners, people convicted of terrorism, or prisoners with serious mental health problems.

KosovaPress also learns that Belgium, France and Great Britain have requested an agreement for the transfer of prisoners to Kosovo.

However, Dibrani expresses his opposition, saying that "it would not be right to blame ourselves in this situation."

"As a Correctional Service, we have no interest in entering into other agreements for many reasons. Yes, there have been many requests from many European Union countries, but the recommendation of the Kosovo Correctional Service will be no new agreements because we have enough work to do with these institutions, with these prisoners that we have who are our citizens. And it would not be right to burden ourselves with prisoners from other countries in this situation," he adds.

Next year's budget foresees around eight million euros for capital investments for the Kosovo Correctional Service.

The Director of the KCS, Ismail Dibrani, says that they have planned the construction of the Lipjan prison and the Correctional Center in Prizren.

"The construction of the Lipjan prison, the Correctional Center for Gram, is planned, but it is a three-year project. The construction of the Detention Center and the Correctional Center in Prizren, at the moment it is only a Detention Center, but it is planned to build a center there, but it will be with several levels where prisoners with final sentences will be able to be placed, this to facilitate the movements of family members from Dragash, Prizren, Gjakova, Rahovec and other municipalities", says Dibrani in an interview for KosovaPress.

On the other hand, Dibrani reports that over the last three years, over 600 cases of smuggling prevention within correctional institutions have been registered.

"We have had a smaller number of smuggling cases that we have encountered within correctional institutions and we have had an increase in the number of preventions. In the last three years alone, we have had over 600 cases of smuggling prevention compared to other years, in the same period where we had 100 cases of smuggling prevention. Of course, an extraordinary result and success has been the great support that we have had from the government.

As you know, the institution for the treatment of persons with special needs has also been established, with the support of the government, the American Embassy, ​​the main strategic partner during this period we have had EULEX, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, who have helped us in many trainings, the drafting of secondary legislation and in the professional development of staff, because dozens of workshops are organized or participants are hundreds of officials who have undergone these trainings", he says.

Prisoners use various methods to smuggle contraband, including through family members, bodies, food, but also more sophisticated means such as drones.

In some cases, they are also assisted by correctional officers, but according to Dibrani, these cases are decreasing.

"Fortunately, in recent years this number has been decreasing as a result of the measures, we have had cases when both senior supervisors and officers, not in large numbers, have been arrested, are still serving their sentences today, but there are cases that are also in procedures. But, fortunately, this number has been continuously decreasing and the largest number now, you know that there are many methods. We have the problem of drones, more sophisticated methods through which prisoners try to bring contraband inside. Likewise, when from the outside they try to throw contraband inside the walls, where they then manage to bring it inside during activities.

But, of course, there are many ways and methods where prisoners reach and find their way into even the highest security prisons in the world, there is smuggling. But we are making maximum efforts to reduce this phenomenon. We are also in consultation with other security institutions to provide anti-drone but also other wave blocking devices, which enable us to increase security in our institutions even more easily", says Dibrani.

Last year, the Kosovo Correctional Service was awarded the International Award of Excellence by the International Prison and Correctional Services Organization (ICPA), for the project "Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Health Care".

Dibrani says that prisoners are being included in rehabilitation programs, which affect their resocialization.

"We have won the international excellence award, ranking first, alongside Singapore, Canada, and Finland, in health care and rehabilitation program reform. We have achieved records in terms of rehabilitation programs because in the year we are just finishing [2025], we have managed to sign dozens of cooperation agreements with many local and international organizations, and as a result, the number of prisoners participating in these rehabilitation programs has increased."

"This year alone [2025] we have nearly 600 people involved in rehabilitation programs, for the first time we have a waiting list, where prisoners are waiting to participate in rehabilitation programs," he concludes.

In all correctional centers in Kosovo there are over 1750 prisoners, of which 1100 are convicted and 600 are detained. Meanwhile, the capacity in all prisons in Kosovo is 2200 beds. /KP/

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