NEWSLETTER
March 2016

EuroPris Interview
Sue McAllister, Director General of the Northern Ireland Prison Service

EuroPris: How many Prison establishments do you oversee?
Sue McAllisterIn Northern Ireland we have three prison establishments, two for adult male prisoners and a third shared site for young adults, aged between 18 and 21, and women of all ages.
 
How many prisoners are in prison at the moment in Northern Ireland?
Our total population, at 15 February 2016, is 1454.  This figure is about 300 less than at the same date last year. This is partly due to industrial action by some lawyers, which has created a backlog in the courts in Northern Ireland, and partly due to work we have been doing with other agencies to reduce the overall prison population

March Featured Article
The Implementation of the 2012 Committee of Ministers' Recommendation concerning foreign prisoners: findings of a study in foreign national only prisons in Norway and the Netherlands
by Dr. R�is�n Mulgrew, 
Assistant Professor at the School of Law, University of Nottingham,  Foreign Nationals in Prison Expert Group Member

Roisin Mulgrew, Kirsten Hawlitschek and Femke Hofstee van der Meulen, Prison Watch presented in the plenary of the PC-CP, November 2015, regarding the implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec (2012) 12 on foreign prisoners. CoE shared the opinion that foreign prisoners rarely come forward to the attention and concern of the national authorities which explains to a great extent why this recommendation is rarely translated and known to the prison and probation services. The experts appealed to the participants to take the necessary steps to promote this text and to include it in the training curricula of prison staff. We hereby present you the findings of this study. 
 
EuroPris News
Welcome to new EuroPris members Slovakia and Italy

EuroPris would like to welcome its newest members - the General Directorate of the Corps of Prison and Court Guards of the Slovak Republic and Department of Penitentiary Administration of Ministry of Justice Italy - and thank them for the trust in EuroPris. The continued growth in the number of our members contributes to the goal of EuroPris to achieve a meaningful collaboration and exchange of knowledge and good practices across Europe.
Last year EuroPris already experienced a major increase in membership - with new members from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Georgia,  Latvia, Portugal and Turkey. More members allow for a wider sharing. And more members also increasingly establish EuroPris as a European network center for and a credible representation of European prison services.
CJP Seminar on Radicalisation and Violent Extremism

It is the second time that the Criminal Justice Platform consisting of EuroPris, CEP and EFRJ is organizing a one day seminar on Radicalisation and Violent Extremism. This year's event will take place on 26 April in Barcelona and is co-hosted by the Catalonian Ministry of Justice. The agenda comprises presentations and discussions led by experts from all over Europe. The focus will be on international initiatives and national practices in the field of mentoring, training, religious care and interagency cooperation. Registration for the event is already open. Further information and the latest agenda can be found on our website
5th EuroPris Annual Conference and General Meeting

On 13th June the EuroPris Conference and Annual General Meeting will take place in Zaandam, Netherlands. The event is co-hosted by the Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency. The conference in the morning will have presentations of the EuroPris expert groups and a panel discussion on Overcrowding and (pre-trial) Detention Conditions. In the afternoon EuroPris (potential) members are discussing the Annual reports of 2015 and the planning for the coming year. Also, we would like to invite our members to nominate candidates for the Board elections as we have three Board positions that are open for (re-) election. Detailed information about the agenda, registration, elections and logistics can be found on the EuroPris website
Save the date: EuroPris ICT in Prison Workshop

The 3rd EuroPris ICT in Prison Workshop will be organised together with the Portuguese Prison and Probation Service and will take place on 29-30 June 2016 in Sintra, Portugal. Among the topics covered will be: Telemedicine, Connecting the inmate to the digital world, Looking into the future, Cloud and data protection and internet, Video-conferencing, Tender Management. Registration and more information will be published on EuroPris website at the end of March. 
Upcoming Event: A Unique Focus on Correctional Research

In collaboration with EuroPris, ICPA and the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, we plan to co-organise the "1st International Symposium on Correctional Research: Enhancing Comparability and Understanding", in Stockholm, Sweden on 23-25 August 2016. This event has the purpose of inviting research managers from correctional agencies worldwide, including both prisons and community services, as well as select academics and researchers with a broad interest in criminal justice and corrections issues, especially as it pertains to the measurement of performance, quality of services and outcomes in the delivery of correctional services. Read more.

Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) 

The Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) organised on the 20th and 21st of January, a study visit with a group of 17 practitioners from 11 different Member States who visited two prisons in the region of Paris, the Maison d'Arr�t d'Osny-Val-d'Oise and the Maison d'Arr�t de Fresnes. The visits sought to understand prison regimes and recent French practices in counter-radicalisation and deradicalisation/disengagement approaches in prison settings. EuroPris attended this study visits and shared the finding with the Radicalisation Expert Group. The report of the study visit is available to EuroPris members upon request to [email protected]
Conference American Correctional Association 

The President of EuroPris, Hans Meurisse, attended the ACA Winter Conference in New Orleans on 24 and 25 January. He participated in several workshops and gave a presentation on EuroPris. In his presentation he reflected on the five years of EuroPris' existence as five years of improving cooperation among European Prison Services and on technology as a driving force for innovation in Europe. For the whole report on his conference participation follow this link
Meeting of Criminal Justice Platform with Commissioner Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova

On 4th February 2016 the Commissioner  Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourov�, had a meeting with representatives of the Criminal Justice Platform Europe: CEP, EuroPris and EFRJ. The meeting was an open exchange about the work of the Platform and the priorities of the European Commission in the field of criminal justice. Addressing radicalisation through better trained prison and probation staff was part of the discussionRead more
Conference on "Counter-Terrorism and De-radicalisation: How to Answer the Training Needs of Justice Practitioners"

This conference, jointly organized by the European Commission and the European Judicial Training Network, on 20 May 2016 addresses training providers of judges, prosecutors, prison and probation staff (initial training as well as continuous on-the-job training). EU-level organisations representing practitioners of these professions concerned with the consequences of counter-terrorism measures and/or de-radicalisation issues are also invited to send representatives. Participation is only open for Prison training providers, not for general prison management. For more information click here. 
Council of Europe Handbook

On the 2nd of March the Council of Europe issued a set of guidelines to its 47 member states to prevent the radicalisation of prisoners and persons under probation, and rehabilitate individuals who have already become radicalised. Adopted by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, the guidelines endorse the good management of prisons as an indispensable basis for the prevention of radicalisation and the introduction of efficient exit and reintegration programmes. See the press release and guidelines
Watch CoE Interview on the guidelines with Vivian Geiran, PC-CP Chair. 
European Prison Education Association

Every 2 years the EPEA holds its International Conference in different European countries. Members and non-members can come together to explore topical issues; experience new approaches and innovations, and highlight good practice in the field of prison education. The EPEA Steering Committee is in the process of soliciting bids to host the 16th International EPEA conference in the autumn of 2017. EPEA is inviting agencies, organisations or institutions interested in hosting this conference to submit a formal letter to the Steering Committee of the EPEA stating their interest in hosting the 2017 EPEA Conference until 30th April 2016 latest. For the benefits and the steps in the application read more
Annual conference European Forum for Restorative Justice

Registrations are open for the EFRJ 9th international conference 'Realising Restorative Justice: Human Rights and Personal Realities' (22-24 June 2016). The conference will take place at the Law School of Leiden University in The Netherlands. Plenary speakers will present different perspectives on human rights and restorative justice, looking at theories and practices in national and international contexts as well as at how restorative justice principles and values may contribute to overcome current human rights challenges in Europe and beyond. Early bird registration is until 15 April 2016, papers' submission is until 31 March and registration closes on 1 June! More info here
EuroPris Expert Groups
Foreign Nationals in Prison Expert Group Meeting

The first meeting of the FNP Expert Group in 2016 took place in Bucharest following the EU funded STEPS 2 Project Conference. The Expert Group had a fresh start in 2016 by welcoming seven new members, nominated by EuroPris members and CEP. The planning of events for 2016 were the major topic of discussion. A joint EuroPris-CEP workshop on Foreign National Prisoners is planned for 24-25 November. Read more
FD 909 Expert Group

In 2015, the EuroPris Expert Group on the Transfer of Foreign National Offenders invited all EU Member States to attend one of two meetings - regardless of whether they were members of EuroPris. This enabled experts with varying levels of experience of using Framework Decision 909 to have detailed practical discussions relating to implementation and execution of transfers. A consolidated report of the meetings has been produced containing best practice, recommendations and actions for Member States and the European Commission. EuroPris are working with the European Commission to plan the 2016 expert group meeting where the Commission Handbook on Framework Decision 909 will be reviewed. This will take place on 9/10 May in Brussels.
Family Relations Expert Group

A new expert group has been established at the beginning of this year following a call for nominations to our EuroPris members. At the last Annual General Meeting our members explicitly asked for an expert group that deals with family relations and children of prisoners. Alone in the EU 800.000 children are separated from their parents. This is a situation that is harmful for the children as well as their imprisoned parents. The expert group will discuss and collect good practices in Europe at their meeting on 18-19 May in Zagreb. Two experts from COPE (Children of Prisoners Europe) will join the expert meeting that is taking place just before the COPE annual conference in Zagreb.
Radicalisation Expert Group

The Radicalisation Expert Group will meet on 27th April in Barcelona, after the Criminal Justice Platform Seminar on Radicalisation and Violent Extremism. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the papers that the experts are developing on: Prison Chaplaincy, Identification of Radicalised Offenders and Risk Assessment Tools. A report of the meeting will be published on our website in the following newsletter. 
Project News
Academy of European Law 

Within the project 'Improving Conditions and Finding Alternatives to Detention', the ERA is currently organising the second seminar dedicated to 'Supervising matters related to detention - The Council of Europe and international bodies' work in improving detention conditions' that takes place in Strasbourg from 23-24 June 2016 in English and French. This seminar will focus on the work of the Council of Europe and international bodies in improving conditions related to detention. Find out more
STEPS2 Resettlement Final Conference

67 delegates from 25 countries met in Bucharest on 4 & 5 February 2016 for the final conference of the Support for Transfer of European Prisoners towards Resettlement (STEPS2) project. The project was initiated in March 2014, with the aim of supporting effective delivery of Framework Decision 2008/909/JHA relating to the transfer of foreign national prisoners. Through the various workstreams, the project aimed to investigate and analyse practical and legal obstacles that may hinder the implementation and execution of the Framework Decision in Member States. The conference sought to share the learning from these workstreams and give delegates the opportunity to test and discuss the products that had been developed through the project. The summary report, e-learning module and presentation will be published on the STEPS2 website .
Prisons of the Future

The final working conference of the Prisons of the Future project took place in The Hague from 2-4 March. Next to the Dutch Custodial Institutions agency, who was the project leader, the prison Services of Belgium, Denmark, Finland and Sweden were partners in the project. 85 European participants from 25 countries tried to find answers to questions such as:  What are the kind of prisons we need in the future? Can we even imagine a future without prisons? Which new alternatives to detention can we imagine? How can prisons of the future balance different principles, such as isolation from society, restoration, public safety, and re-integration into society? Which innovations influence the prison & probation services as well as the penal system? How can our new prisons or new alternatives take into account needs of offenders as well as needs of citizens? The conference report, pictures and presentations are published on the EuroPris website 
IDECOM

An International Seminar was organised on 28th January 2016 in Ankara with more than 40 participants (Bulgaria, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Greece and Georgia, Turkey) attending the event. The participants acquired information about the study "Staff Training Need Analysis" developed in the Project, as well as about the new curriculum of training courses for prison staff. Following the event, the third transnational project meeting took place on 27-28 January also in Ankara. Read more
European Communities of Restoration

The ECOR project searched for alternative solutions for prison overcrowding, social discrimination and high recidivism with a methodology in which communities of restoration help inmates and ex-offenders take responsibility. In February 2016 Gabriela Slovakova of the Czech Prison Service represented EuroPris at the ECOR (European Communities of Restoration) final conference. Her contribution was focused on the important role of after care, and the importance of cooperation with governmental and non-governmental organizations in helping inmates to reenter the society. Also, comparison of various approaches on how to define recidivism was presented. ECOR was an EU funded project with partners from Germany, Bulgaria, Latvia, Hungary, Austria and the United Kingdom. For more information read report and visit the project website.
European treatment and transition management of high-risk offenders


One year after the final works of the Justice Cooperation Network, the project team of the University of Greifswald, Frieder D�nkel, Ineke Pruin , Moritz von der Wense and J�rg Jesse (project leader) are happy to present the JCN conference proceedings published by a scientific publisher. The book "European Treatment, Transition Management, and Re-Integration of High Risk Offenders" - Results of the Final Conference and Final Evaluation Report of the Justice-Cooperation-Network (JCN)-Project ISBN 978-3-942865-58-6.  The book can be ordered for a price of 39 €.
Press Room
News, projects and publications in the European correctional arena

For the News Digest January-March 2016, click here

Upcoming Events
10th CEP Electronic Monitoring Conference [More info]
19-21 April 2016, Riga, Latvia

Criminal Justice Platform Workshop on Radicalisation [More info]
26 April 2016, Barcelona, Spain

COPE Annual Conference [More info]
20 May 2016, Zagreb, Croatia

Conference on "Counter-Terrorism and De-radicalisation: How to Answer the Training Needs of Justice Practitioners" [More info]
20 May 2016, Brussels, Belgium

Victims Support Europe Annual Conference [More info]
25-26 May 2016, Utrecht, Netherlands

EuroPris Annual General Meeting and Conference [More info]
13 June 2016, Zaandam, Netherlands

9th International Conference of the EFRJ [More info]
22-24 June 2016, Leiden, Netherlands

ERA, Supervising Matters Related to Detention [More info]
23-24 June, Strasbourg, France

EuroPris ICT in Prisons Workshop
29-30 June 2015, Sintra, Portugal

1st International Symposium on Correctional Research [More info]
23-25 August 2015, Stockholm, Sweden
Document Library
1. Updated State of Play: EU Framework Decisions 909; 947; 829;
2. Competent Authorities for Framework Decisions 2008/909/JHA, 2008/947/JHA and 2009/829/JHA;
3. Declarations by Member State for Framework Decisions 2008/909/JHA, 2008/947/JHA and 2009/829/JHA;
4. FD 909 prisoner transfer information form; [Download]
5. Prisons of the Future Summary Report and Presentations [Download]
6. Working Group Report EuroPris Expert Group Framework Decision 909 [Download]
7. PRI: International Experts Roundtable on Preventing Radicalisation in Prisons: Developing a Coordinated and Effective Approach [Download]
8. Report Mike Nellis: Understanding the electronic monitoring of offenders in Europe: expansion, regulation and prospects [Download]
9. UNODC Handbook on Dynamic Security and Prison Intelligence [Download]
10. SPACE 2014 reports [Read reports]

Contact Us
EuroPris
P.O. Box 13635 
2501 EP The Hague 
Netherlands
[email protected]
EuroPris does not hold the view of external websites linked in the newsletter and neither is it responsible for the content of external websites.