In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges for the European prison and correctional services at the moment?

There are two developments, which set a challenge for European prison administrations: On one hand, the treatment of inmates, which becomes increasingly difficult due to language barriers. On the other hand, the adequate treatment of the mentally ill inmates in the penal institutions. An additional challenge both for the prison administration and for the prison staff is radicalisation – of any kind. I personally think that we can overcome all the aforementioned challenges only through mutual cooperation. 

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Prison, probation, academic and NGO representatives of over 20 European countries gathered at The Hague in October for a successful EuroPris/CEP Workshop on foreign nationals in prison and probation. Presentations covered current research findings, policy and operational practice in working with this increasingly significant group. It was combined with a panel discussion on the different levels of foreign nationals in prison and probation and the underlying reasons for these differences. A second panel was on resettlement options for expelled foreign prisoners.

For full workshop report and presentations, click here.

Every week EuroPris received queries from member countries, and in this section we will highlight several KMS reports from the last months:

The European Prison Rules are under revision. The purpose is to create a more comprehensive and logical structure and revise some of the rules, primarily the ones on Solitary confinement, Women, Complaints, Inspections and monitoring, Foreign nationals, Adequate staffing level, Use of restraints and Records and file management . Some changes can be expected in the Preamble in order to align them to the most recent judgments of the European Court of the Human Rights and the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (The Nelson Mandela Rules). 

Click here to read more

With funding of the EU, the Dutch Custodial Institution Agency has developed a brochure that supports prison guards in recognizing signs of radicalisation leading to extremism. The tool is specifically designed for those professionals that are in direct contact with detainees. It is easy to read thanks to illustrated theoretical foundations, catchy pictograms and examples. The tool is based on scientific knowledge and international expertise and is applicable to all kinds of extremist prisoner behaviour.

To download the brochure, click here .

Penal Reform International is seeking information on rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for women in prison, i.e. best practices that implement the UN Bangkok Rules on Women Prisoners. This information will be used to develop guidance on gender-specific programmes to assist stakeholders in implementing the Bangkok Rules - to be published by PRI and the Thailand Institute of Justice. Input from a variety of countries and contexts, in any language, is welcomed. For further information and to submit information click here .

Deadline is 1 December .

On 1 October, the International Day of Older Persons, the International Committee of the Red Cross regional delegation in Paris published a multimedia project focusing on older prisoners. The increase in the elderly prisoner population is a challenge for prisons, which often are not adapted to these detainees’ specific needs. The dossier contains insights of a workshop organised in France previously this year. Mobility loss, dementia, sensory impairment, loss of family ties are some of the issues that were underlined. Recommendations are detailed in order to improve responses to older prisoners' specific needs and can be found in the workshop report .

Mozart’s ‘Così fan tutte’, performed by prisoners? The Opera in Prison Project is part of the Portuguese Reintegration and Prison Services intention to provide purposeful activities in Portuguese prisons, in this case prisoners from one of Portugal´s largest juvenile prisons. The project brings together officers and inmates as well as their families and friends, who jointly sing or build a scenic decor.

Read the full Reuter reportage here .

On 3 October 2018, the new Council of Europe Recommendation concerning restorative justice (RJ) in criminal matters was adopted. Many victims and offenders are being excluded from RJ. This results from low levels of awareness of RJ among the populations of member States and, in some countries, from a lack of national policies, funding or coordination of its use. There remains a role for all policymakers, practitioners and other professionals involved in criminal justice to promote, enable or use RJ. It is necessary to promote new, innovative approaches and uses of restorative justice, including ways in which RJ is used within the criminal justice system, but also externally to the criminal procedure.

Click here  to find more information, including the links to the recommendation and its commentary.

In October, the Real Estate expert group met in Stockholm, hosted by the Swedish Prison and Probation Service. The group presented actual developments in their services on topics such as  such as t echnology, facility management delivery models, custodial fixtures and fittings, designing accommodation, energy management, sustainability, modern methods of construction. The group is currently working on two reports: Designing for Rehabilitation & Designing for Women in Prisons, they will be available on the EuroPris website by January 2019.

Presentations and notes from the meeting are available here.

Dr Roisin Mulgrew and Isabelle Storme of EuroPris/CEP expert group on Foreign Nationals in Prison and Probation have created an E-learning module to improve the treatment of foreign prisoners based on the Council of Europe Recommendations. The module is part of the ‘EU-CoE HELP Radicalisation Prevention Project’ and takes staff through various key topics with quiz, animations and discussion sessions. The module will be provided in different European languages, starting with English. The E-learning module will be launched in December. 

The expert group on Education in Prison met in September in Bratislava, hosted by the Slovak Prison Service. In the past year the group mapped the current status of prison education in Europe. 22 Prison Services responded to a questionnaire that was evaluated by the Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research. At the September meeting the group compared the Council of Europe Recommendation with the current practice of prison education. The findings of this work will be presented to the Penological Council of the Council of Europe in 2019.

Click here to view the notes from the meeting.