On 23rd September 2014, the Ministry of Finance – Programme Operator of the Programme CZ15 approved funding to implement pre-defined project of the Prison Service of the Czech Republic “Increasing the effectiveness of women prisoners before release from Opava Prison”.

The aim of the project is to reconstruct former boiler room to a space for employing and educating sentenced women in compliance with European and international law in the area of human rights. This will increase opportunities of employment of sentenced women who do not meet conditions for possible inclusion to workplace or job activities outside the prison.

As a consequence, possibilities of obtaining work habits by sentenced women who do not have them and maintenance by those who have them will be increased. This should lead to better application of these persons at labour market after their release from prison and decrease of the relapse. At the same time, two classrooms enabling implementation of educational and other special educational activities for sentenced women that will aimed at increasing their reintegration skills and application at work market after their release will be constructed. The project provides new possibilities of education of sentenced women because a space for conducting courses, lectures, meetings, educational activities etc. and for implementation of other special educational activities that cannot be conducted in general spaces of the prison will be created.

Overall budget of the project is 14 885 381 CZK / 561 712 EUR.