On Wednesday, March 9th 2022, a conference was organized by the Office for Combating Drugs and the Humanitarian NGO “Reto – ima nade”, at the Palace of Serbia. The conference entitled “Models of Rehabilitation and Resocialization of drug addicts in Serbia – Challenges and Perspectives” aimed to expose to the public the methods of functioning of therapeutic communities in Serbia, as well as to explain the concepts of rehabilitation and alternative sanctions. At the conference the participants were Special hospital on Addictions, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Administration for the Enforcement of Penal Sanctions, Special Prison Hospital, National Employment Service, Methadone Center, County Jail in Belgrade, Faculty of Political Sciences, City Center for Social Work in Belgrade, and also Civil Society Organizations “Restart”, “Izlazak”, “Re Generacija”. “Duga”, “Teen Challenge Serbia”, “Caritas”, “Mreža organizacija za postpenalnu podršku Srbije”.
Office for Combating Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Center “Reto – ima nade”, and in the last period representatives of the Office visited Center and got acquainted with their activities. From the cooperation arose the need to acquaint the public with the ways of functioning of this therapeutic community, as well as with the positive aspects that the center “Reto – has hope” provides.
Conference was opened by director of the Office for Combating Drugs, mr. Milan Pekić, and on that occasion express the gratitude for cooperation with Center “Reto – ima nade”, and he pointed out that rehabilitation and resocialization are an indispensable processes that lead to the complete recovery of drug addicts. He also mentioned that this process is multidisciplinary, and requires consensus between public authorities, medical facilities, civil society organizations and the public.

Representatives of the Center “Reto – ima nade” informed the audience about the long history and capacities of this therapeutic community, the main goals and metods which users of the Center lead to rehabilitation, as well as personal experiences and successful practices of users who are former drug addicts. On that occasion, the speakers stated that since Center is established in 2004, until now, more than 2,000 users have passed through the Center’s program. Representatives of the Center “Reto – ima nade” expressed gratitude to the Office for Combating Drugs, as well as numerous institutions with the Center is actively cooperating with, and who took the role at the conference.
Representatives of the Special Hospital on Addictions, Administration for the Enforcement of Penal Sanctions and the City Center for Social Work in Belgrade, at their presentations, emphasized the importance of alternative sanctions. On that occasion, the speakers presented the methods of resocialization and rehabilitation from various aspects, and especially emphasized the role of therapeutic communities such as the Center. The users of the Center are characterized by a high degree of motivation and community, which with active cooperation with competent institutions, make the center “Reto – ima nade” an important link in the process of rehabilitation and resocialization of drug addicts in Serbia, said the speakers.