Newsflash
July 2020
Prison Related News
Revised European Prison Rules
The Council of Europe has adopted a  Recommendation   which updates the  2006 European Prison Rules . The rules, which contain the key legal standards and principles related to prison management, staff and treatment of detainees, guide the 47 Council of Europe member states in their legislation, policies and practices. The revision concerns the rules on the record keeping of information about inmates and the management of their files, the treatment of women prisoners, foreign nationals, as well as the use of special high security or safety measures such as the separation of prisoners from other inmates, solitary confinement, instruments of restraint, the need to ensure adequate levels in prison staff, inspection and independent monitoring.

SPACE I evaluation of the short-term impact of the COVID-19 on prison populations
A special  SPACE I report   was published. It analyses trends in European prison populations from 1st January to 15th April. This period includes roughly the first month in which the COVID-19 pandemic started spreading in Europe and led most countries to impose lockdowns to their populations. Even if it is a short period of time (from mid-March to mid-April), the spread of the pandemic had a direct effect on imprisonment: The vast majority of prison administrations showed decreasing or stable prison population rates.

Art Competition: Art and Prison
Back to life  is the theme of the fifth international art competition that the non-profit organization Art and Prison is announcing for imprisoned individuals. Artworks from women, men and adolescents in correctional institutions will be awarded prizes. A jury of art experts will decide the winners. The artworks entered in the competition will become part of a unique collection of „prison art“ that will be shown throughout Europe in a travelling exhibition. Employees of prison administrations can find information  here . 
UNODC Handbook on the Classification of Prisoners
UNODC’s new  Handbook on the Classification of Prisoners  is designed to provide practical information and guidelines to support prison administrations with the development of an effective system that meets international standards. It is based on grounded research evidence and the experience of numerous countries that have implemented such systems. Although primarily designed for prison officers, it is also intended to be a useful resource guide for other criminal justice officials and parties involved in the criminal justice system.

UNODC Practical Guide to
Creating a Brand of Prison Products
UNODC is holding a virtual event on h ow brands of prison products support prisoner reintegration on  21 July 2020 at 15:00 CET.

Under the Doha Declaration Global Programme, UNODC has developed a Practical Guide to Creating a Brand of Prison Products to guide Member States in developing or enhancing a brand of prison products or services, in full compliance with international standards and norms applicable to prison-based work programmes and prisoners' working conditions.

EuroPris Upcoming Events in 2020
At the EuroPris secretariat we are closely following the developments around COVID-19. Starting point for our events and activities is the official governmental health advice of the country where the event is organized. We will make adjustments and inform participants when necessary. Please consult our website for the latest information about our other events.
ICT Workshop - Online
The ICT Workshop was planned to take place in Vienna this year. The Program Committee has now decided that it would be more feasible to hold an online event. On  29 & 30 September  half day morning sessions are planned   with plenary presentations and breakout sessions. Topics will include intelligent prisons, video linking, data driven decision making, digital services for inmates, impact of Covid-19 on the use of technology and more.

Campfire sessions on online professional communities and the environment
EuroPris wants to use the experiences from the COVID-19 crisis to contribute to working online with our international professional community as well as to being more conscious about our environmental footprint. On 10 & 21 September , we will host two online campfire sessions with our network to start these conversations.

Annual General Meeting
The EuroPris Annual General Meeting and conference was scheduled to take place in Dublin on the 8 th  of June. It has been rescheduled to take place on 9 November 2020 in Strasbourg, connected to the 25th Council of Europe Conference of Directors which will also take place in Strasbourg on  9-10 November 2020.  

Juveniles and young adults in prison and probation Workshop
EuroPris together with CEP is organising a one-and-a-half-day workshop ( 1-2 December 2020 ) on Juveniles and Young Adult offenders in prison and probation in   The Hague, The Netherlands  .
This expert workshop will address the perspective of different European experts in the field of juveniles and young adults who have committed crimes, both from interventions in the community and in closed regime institutions.

Webinar Responses to Sexual Violence
Watch a series of webinars organized by the Criminal Justice Platform on Responses to Sexual Violence. The webinars came in place of the Summer course this year in Barcelona, which is now scheduled for July 2021 . In the EuroPris edition Nicholas Blagden from Trent university spoke about “A rehabilitative environment” and Marianne Fuglestved from the Danish Prison and Probation Service presented on “Staff – qualifications and support”. 

EPTA Annual Conference 2020
The final decision has been made, the EPTA Annual Conference 2020 will be held online on 28-29 September . The current holder of the EPTA presidency, the Slovakian Training Center from General Directorate of the Corps of Prison and Court Guard and the EPTA Steering Committee, came to this decision due to the current ongoing situation of the COVID-19 crisis. The draft agenda will be available soon on the EPTA website.

Find most recent information about the online conference on the EPTA website here .
Highlights from EuroPris Knowledge Management System
Document Library
  1. COVID-19 collection of reports and protocols - View collection here
  2. Interagency Cooperation Workshop Report - View report here
  3. Real Estate and Logistics Workshop Report - View report here
  4. Review of European Prison Education Policy and Council of Europe Recommendation (89) 12 on Education in Prison - View report here
  5. Information Leaflet on processing prisoner transfers within Europe - View here
  6. RAN/EuroPris Staff Training Collection (2018) - View collection here
  7. Updated State of Play: EU Framework Decisions 909; 947; 829;
  8. Competent Authorities for Framework Decisions 2008/909/JHA, 2008/947/JHA and 2009/829/JHA;
  9. Country factsheets on prison sentence execution - View here
  10. Designing for Rehabilitation Report - View report here
European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services (EUROPRIS)
EuroPris
P.O. Box 13635
2501 EP The Hague
Netherlands