On November 3-5, 2016, training was held for the staff of the Public Defender's Office and members of the Special Preventive Group. The theme of the training was: "Monitoring of mental health issues in the penitentiary institutions."

The training was aimed at increasing the professional skills of the employees of the Public Defender's Office and members of the Special Preventive Group concerning mental health issues, including medical examination and documentation, mental health care and treatment plan, psychoactive drugs and management of drug-addicted inmates, prevention of suicide, interviews with patients and staff, and other mental health problems in the penitentiary institutions. During the training, several discussions were held and a variety of practical exercises were done.

The training was led by the general profile and forensic psychiatry registered doctor from Oxford and the medicine/psychiatry expert of the European Committee against Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of the Council of Europe, Dr. Clive Miu, and the registered physician of Oxford Forensic Psychiatry National Services Foundation, Dr. Julia Cartwright.

Within the training, study visits were paid to medical facility N18 and closed detention facility N8. At the end of the study visit the training participants met with representatives of the Ministry of Corrections, where the topics of discussion were mental health challenges in penitentiary facilities and the need for co-operation between the Ministry of Corrections and the Public Defender/Special Preventive Group.

The event was held within the framework of the European Union and the Council of Europe Joint Programme "Human Rights in Prisons and Other Closed Institutions."