As part of the transformative EU co-funded project, the Ministry of Justice will empower people serving a prison sentence to obtain secondary-level education and qualifications and benefit from retraining and further vocational training. This will not only provide them with a chance to obtain formal education and training but also enroll in language courses in Slovene and English and programmes to improve functional literacy. The project aims to facilitate the transition period after the end of their sentence, allowing for a faster and more effective resocialisation process tailored to their specific needs. This year, 99 people serving a prison sentence will be included in the project, and by the end of the project, at the end of 2028, a total of 1,400 such individuals in all Slovenian prisons are expected to have been included in the project.   

The project Educational activities for people serving a prison sentence is implemented under Slovenia’s EU Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027, under the priority Long-term care and health, and social inclusion and pursues the specific objective Fostering active inclusion with a view to promoting equal opportunities, non-discrimination and active participation, and improving employability, in particular for disadvantaged groups.  

The project is worth EUR 2 million, with European Social Fund Plus contribution standing at a little under EUR 1.5 million, i.e., EUR 1,428,830.