In order to improve the conditions of penitentiary and detention in the districts EUPOL COPPS Head of Mission (HoM), Karin Limdal, the Office of the European Union Representative for the Palestinians (EUREP), the Director of the International Office for Drugs and Crime (INL) Dan Katz, and the Chief of the Palestinian  Civil Police (PCP), Major General Allam Al-Saqqa, paid a joint visit to Bethlehem District on 7 November.

The HoM and the named international and Palestinian partners visited the Bethlehem prison and the holding cells in the Bethlehem police district HQ and held meetings with the stakeholders. Following the decision by the Ministry of Justice to close the existing Bethlehem Corrections and Rehabilitation Center (CRC), the visit to a potential site of a future Bethlehem CRC was also included in the program.

Located in a rented, former residential building in the city center, surrounded by other residential buildings, the prison is not constructed for correctional purposes and there is a clear need for a venue meeting international standard, with sufficient space to conduct correctional and rehabilitation activities. Similarly, infrastructure and facilities of the holding cells need to be adjusted. The delegation discussed the importance of applying a holistic approach to overcrowding where legislative amendments and the proper application of current legislation will need to be worked on in parallel to address the challenges in the area of penitentiary and detention.

The delegation also paid a visit to the Dheisheh refugee camp and the Bethlehem District Police Directorate.