Prison Reform
What we want to achieve in prison reform
Our projects work on shifting away from punitive and towards rehabilitative systems in criminal justice. This often requires a change in the core priority of criminal justice systems in the countries where we work. This change process is profound and touches upon many aspects and upon many actors in the criminal justice system. Hence our projects do not only support capacity building processes within the prison service, but also throughout the criminal justice chain. It strongly promotes intensive collaboration between the different justice chain actors, which further ensures reforms that are made are sustainable and fully integrated throughout the system. On a practical level, we provides peer-to-peer trainings, capacity enhancement and strategic institutional support through the transfer of knowledge and skills. The prison reform projects focus on compliance with European and International standards in criminal justice and human rights, improving the prison climate, and introducing working methods to increase chances for the successful reintegration of prisoners.
With the EPTA project, we aim to safeguard respect for the fundamental rights of prisoners by stimulating adequate training for correctional staff in the European Union. Together with EuroPris, and in conjunction with National Training Academies across the EPTA network, we work towards creating a sustainable, professional and active EPTA network which is able to tackle gaps in cross-border cooperation by stimulating participation and exchanges within the wider network. This, in turn, will allow existing and future European members to collectively benefit from the results.
Current prison reform projects
- EU Covid-19 Solidarity Programme for Eastern partnership
- Assistance in Implementing the Strategy of the Penal System in the Republic of Armenia (AISPIRA)
- Towards a Safe, Stimulating and Rehabilitative Prison Environment for Children and Juveniles in Conflict with the Law in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia
- Giving back: Bridging the gap towards child-friendly justice in closed institutions
Completed prison projects
- Improvement of Prison Conditions for Reintegration of Juvenile Detainees in Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo
- Management Support to the European Organization of Prison and Correctional Services (EuroPris)
- Enhancing Professionalism in the Libyan Prison Service
- Management of the Organisational Ethos and the Development of Human Resources within the Croatian Ministry of Justice – Prison Administration
- Introduction of Correctional and Therapeutical Programmes for Work with Juvenile Offenders at the Reformatory in Boychinovtsi, Bulgaria
- Harm Reduction in the Prison System in Turkey
- Civil Society Countering Violent Extremism in Albania
- Changing Landscapes: Prison Education Consortium Netherlands
- Tackling Gaps in Cross-Border Cooperation for Penitentiary Training Academies
