NEWSLETTER
January 2017
New Year Message
Dear EuroPris Members, dear colleagues,

With this first EuroPris newsletter in 2017 I would like to wish you all a very happy, positive and exciting new year with much health and energy to realise your personal and professional dreams and goals. 

 
EuroPris Interview 
Miklovan Kopani, Director General of the General Directorate of Prisons Albania

EuroPris: How many Prison establishments do you oversee?
Miklovan Kopani: I oversee 23 penitentiary institutions around the country, of which one institution for juveniles, one for women, and another one categorized for elderly prisoners.
 
How many prisoners are in prison at the moment in Albania? 
At the moment there are 6161 prisoners in the Albanian prison system, of which 89 foreign prisoners. The overpopulation is 13% over the prisons capacities.

 
EuroPris News
EuroPris/CEP National Foreign Offenders Workshop

Foreign national offenders continue to pose particular challenges to those who are working with them in the custodial and community setting. In close co-operation with the Belgian Prison Service, the joint EuroPris and CEP expert group Foreign Nationals in Prison and Probation, organised a workshop on National Foreign Offenders on 24-25 November in Bruges, Belgium.This workshop attracted over 60 participants from prison, probation and NGOs from 21 European countries, to hear presentations and engage in discussion and debate on subjects such as: Management of FNO; trends and rates of foreigners in European Prisons from 2000-2016; interagency cooperation and cooperation with the Immigration Service; working with expelled offenders in Albania and Romania. 
For more information, report and presentations click here. 
Foreign National Prisoners Training Workshop

On 23 November EuroPris organised in cooperation with the University of Nottingham and the Belgian Prison Service a one-day workshop providing training on the Council of Europe Recommendation's provisions on Foreign Prisoners and exploring the challenges and best practices related to its implementation. The training was attended by 41 Prison governors, policy and training managers from 17 European countries. The focus was on regime improvement, rehabilitation/reintegration and staff training. The event provided participants also with an opportunity to contribute to the development of a good practice manual and build a network with practitioners working in this field in other European countries.
Download here presentations from the workshop. 
European Penitentiary Training Academies - Collection of Staff Training Practices in Countering Radicalisation

The Central Training Centre of the Polish Prison Service in Kalisz was from 15-17 November the host of the 9th Annual conference of the European network of Penitentiary Training Academies. At the conference met participants from 15 countries, as well as representatives from EuroPris, the European Commission and the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN). EuroPris supported the event with organising one day discussions on radicalisation related issues. This day was also used as introduction to start with RAN a digital collection of training practices in the area of radicalisation within penitentiary institutions; specifically innovative training practices or innovative elements within training practices. A template has been developed for this purpose. If you like to share your practices please contact [email protected]. The second day focused on training experiences in relation to disabled inmates and English language training for prison staff. 
XVII European Prison Regime Forum

The European Prison Regime Forum is an annual event that has been organised since 1996. In 2016 the EPRF was taken under the umbrella of EuroPris. As a result, EuroPris organised, in cooperation with the EPRF Steering Group and the Bulgarian Prison Service, the European Prison Regime Forum workshop from 14-16 December in Sofia, Bulgaria. The workshop was attended by 42 participants from 19 countries. The agenda addressed topics such as: How is work organised inside and outside of prisons? Education and certification of prisoners. Own label production and marketing. Salary and conditions of employment. Cooperation with social enterprises. 
Read more for more details and presentations.
EuroPris Radicalisation in Prisons Workshop - Registrations Open

EuroPris will organise on 16-17 February 2017 in Brussels, a one day workshop on the topic of Radicalisation in Prisons. The agenda will explore in-depth issues of top priority for the European National Jurisdictions: action plans for countering violent extremism, intervention programmes and risk assessment. It will be a so-called 'closed door' workshop without note taking to encourage free and open sharing of knowledge and experience between the participants. 

Victims' Directive, Criminal Justice Platform Workshop - Registrations Open

EuroPris is co-organising in the framework of the cooperation with the Criminal Justice Platform (CJP) on 23 February 2017 a one-day expert's seminar in Brussels to discuss the impact of the European Commission Victims Directive one year after its implementation. The focus will be on the implementation of the Art. 25 and 26 of the Directive, respectively on training of professionals and cooperation between services in order to provide better support and protection to victims of crime across Europe. With this CJP event we would like to bring experts from prison, probation and Restorative Justice together to share their work in the field of victims. Registrations are open and can be made following this link
More information can be found on our website
1st International Correctional Research Symposium - Registrations Open

On 27-29 March the 1st International Correctional Research Symposium will take place in Ghent, Belgium and is co-organised by EuroPris and ICPA with support of the Belgian Prison Service. The Symposium has the purpose of inviting researchers, academics and prison services globally to come together and share their own experiences and practices in the field of correctional research. The outcomes of these two days will be to: raise awareness of research projects being undertaken globally in the field of corrections; identify potential solutions which promote the development of shared data definitions; highlight routes for the development of internationally recognized standards; and to showcase practices and solutions for modern analytics and business intelligence. We invite those working within the analytical field to take part in this event and contribute their expertise and experience with a view on the development of a common index of data definitions. Further information and registration. 
For enquiries, please contact [email protected] 
EuroPris Forecasting workshop

On 30th March, right after the Correctional Research Symposium, EuroPris is organising a one day workshop on Forecasting in Brussels, Belgium. The workshop is hosted by the Belgian Prison Service.
Possible issues that are currently elaborated to include in the agenda are Prison Forecasting, Prognosis, Capacity Planning, Trend breaks, Evaluation of Forecasting accuracy, Profiling and Big data. The workshop aims to include a small group of experts that allows for a direct sharing and discussion on these issues. Further information and registrations to follow soon on our website
2nd Technology in Corrections Conference

EuroPris in cooperation with ICPA and CEP will organise the second Technology in Corrections Conference: Challenges for the Future on 15-17th May 2017, in Prague, Czech Republic. The conference organisation is supported by the Czech Prison Service and the Probation Service. As in 2015 the private sector has been asked to submit solutions for the public sector on three major subjects. Public and private sector representatives will discuss these solutions and challenge each other in joint workshops.
A call for papers for private sector companies and academics is open until 31st January. 
More information can be found on the event website.
Registrations will open soon.
For enquires contact
EuroPris Annual General Meeting - Save the Date 

EuroPris will hold its 2017 Annual General Meeting and Conference on 19th June 2017. The Conference will share the recent work of the EuroPris expert groups and will dedicate a part of the day to the topic of Female prisoners. At the AGM new Board members will be elected and an official announcement for nominations will be sent mid-March. As in all previous years the EuroPris event will precede the Council of Europe Annual Conference of Prison and Probation Directors (CDPPS). The CDPPS will be on 20 & 21 June and has as topic Staff recruitment, training and development. Both events are generously hosted by the Directorate of the Norwegian Correctional Service at their headquarters in Lillestr�m. In the beginning of February we will publish more information on our website and open registrations for the event.
Criminal Justice Platform Summer Course

From 4 to 7 July the Criminal Justice Platform organises a 3-day summer course in Barcelona. The course will consist of 3 workshops tailored for a mixture of prison, probation and Restorative Justice experts. The topics of the courses are still under preparation and will touch on issues related to radicalisation, desistance and effective justice systems. The course will provide opportunities to build a learning and professional network with colleagues from across Europe.  The programme will be validated by the University of Barcelona and certificates awarded for successful completion. As soon as the registration for the course opens we will send a mail to our network and publish full information on the website.
For enquiries please contact [email protected]
Suicide Prevention Guidelines

The Latvian Prison Administration from April 1, 2014 until September 30, 2016 implemented the project "Suicide preventive system development in imprisonment places", co-funded by the European Commission. 
During the project, suicide preventive system was improved by developing guidelines for the staff, including involvement of inmates in different programmes and activities. Guidelines were adopted in all imprisonment places of Latvia.
For further information and download of the guidelines click here
VOCVO International Training week on Prison Education 

From Monday 24 to Friday 28 April, Vocvo (Flemish support center for adult education), organises in Mechelen (Belgium) an international training week on prison education. This training will provide an idea of how prison education is organised in Flemish prisons. Particular focus will be on interaction between the participants. The main goal is to learn from each other. To facilitate this, we provide you with a view on the Flemish prison education system. This view will be the starting point for further discussion and exchange.
Read more
In Other News
Powerful Theatre in Female Prisons

Already in the September newsletter we published an article about the one-woman-show "God is my Typewriter". The play is based on the life story of the American Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry Anne Sexton. The Finnish actress Anna-Mari Laulumaa is performing this story of a lifelong battle against depression, mania, suicidal tendencies as well as of her relationship with her husband and children. Anna-Mari has been touring female prisons in Latvia, Finland and Sweden and recently got a new grant for touring female prisons abroad. After her first tour Anna-Mari said: "I felt that inside a prison the questions are very serious, so this serious tragedy was the kind of theatre that could help the inmates to process their own true questions. And these questions are probably similar to the questions that Anne had. Very, very difficult questions." If you are interested to invite this performance to your female prison please contact [email protected]
International Scientific Conference Ukraine

From 1-3 December 2016 the 4th international scientific-practical conference "Human rights problems of persons in conflict with the law, through the prism of legal reforms" took place in Kiev, Ukraine. The conference attracted much attention from the academic and the state sector, practitioners, national and international experts (Poland, Latvia, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Slovakia, and Austria). The co-organizers of the conference were the Institute of Law and postgraduate education of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, National Academy of Internal Affairs and NGO "Penitentiary Association of Ukraine". The conference recommendations contained concrete proposals to public authorities regarding the development of a new penal and probation system as part of a legal reform in the Ukraine. Read more
UNODC Handbook on Violent Extremism

Following two Expert Group Meetings in December 2015 and June 2016, the UNODC Handbook on the Management of Violent Extremist Prisoners and the Prevention of Radicalisation to Violence in Prisons has now been finalised. 
Download the report
UNODC will now proceed with using the manual as a basis for delivering tailored technical assistance to requesting Member States. 
FRA Report on Fundamental Rights Aspects in Cross Border Transfers

On 10 November, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published a new report with detailed guidance for the EU and its Member States on how to boost the effectiveness of the criminal justice system through enhanced fundamental rights protection. The report shows how rights protection can enhance trust between Member States in cross-border cases and how these laws can significantly improve the enjoyment of fundamental rights in the EU. 'Criminal detention and alternatives in the EU: fundamental rights aspects in cross-border transfers' examines issues of criminal detention and alternatives in cross-border transfers. 
Seeking PhD and MLitt scholarship applicants prison oversight and inspection, Trinity College Dublin

Dr. Mary Rogan, Associate Professor at the School of Law of the Trinity College in Dublin is currently seeking applicants for PhD and MLitt scholarships at the School of Law, Trinity College Dublin to examine prison oversight and inspection. The scholarships are funded by the European Research Council: https://www.tcd.ie/Law/postgraduate/research-programmes/scholarship/Funded-PhD-MLitt/index.php The MLitt scholarship will be of particular interest to those with experience of working in the prison system. If you are interested, please contact [email protected] 
EuroPris Expert Groups
EuroPris ICT in Prison Expert Group

The second meeting of the expert group took place from 29-30 November in Prague. At this meeting hosted by the Czech Prison Service, the group shared the latest ICT project developments in their prison system. The experts discussed in depth topics and decided to develop two papers in 2017: Payment in Prisons and How can ICT make the offender more prepared for release?
If you are an ICT expert from a National Agency and would like to contribute to one of these papers, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected]
The group will also contribute to the organisation of the Technology in Corrections Conference which will take place on 15-17 May 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic.
Report of the meeting will be published soon on the website. 
Read more on ICT in Prison Expert Group. 
Prisoner information sheets for transfers under Framework Decision 909

Through the expert group on the transfer of foreign national prisoners under Framework Decision 909, EuroPris has collated an online resource of information about prison conditions and procedures in EU Member States. Experts from a number of Member States have contributed to this resource by providing an overview of prison conditions in their country as well as basic information about induction procedures, family visiting and early release arrangements in the national language and English. The aim of these information sheets is to equip prisoners and staff in other countries with knowledge of the prison system of the country to which a person may be transferred and to support the informed consent of prisoners to the transfer process. The information sheets are available herewith additional information to be added from other countries in due course. 
Read more on the expert group. 
Project News
IDECOM

After developing the training curriculum within the project, the pilot training course for prison employees "Communication, ICT and teamwork competencies in prison"  is currently taking place in the Moldavian and Romanian prison systems. The aim of this course is to develop staff competencies, namely in communication, teamwork and ICT in order to improve the education, rehabilitation and reintegration processes of prisoners. After finishing the theoretical part, the trainees from both countries will plan and implement two new educational pilot actions with inmates to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired during the training.
Radicalisation Prevention in Prisons - R2PRIS

R2PRIS is a transnational European project funded by the EU Commission that aims to reduce radicalisation and extremism inside prisons by enhancing the competences of frontline staff (correctional officers, educational staff and psychologists, social workers) to identify, report and interpret signals of radicalisation and respond appropriately.
The project team started their work in September 2015 with the development of the first Output, recently released in the report "R2PRIS Methodological Framework". This report includes: 
  • State of the art analysis on violent extremism and radicalisation in the prison environment in Europe;
  • Collection of approaches, lessons learned and practices employed by prison services;
  • Methodological framework for analysing radicalisation within prisons.
Read more on the project or download the report
MenACE - Mental Health, Aging and palliative care in European prisons

This project is an initiative of the HOSPICE Casa Sperantei, Romania, bringing together organisations from Belgium, Norway, Portugal and Romania. EuroPris joined for dissemination and linking the project to other European initiatives and experts in the field. MenACE project aims to increase the response to mental health disorders within prisons and the quality of palliative and end of life care services provided by enhancing the competences of management and frontline staff to address prisoners' mental health needs and the special needs of older prisoners.
On 5-6 February in Bucharest, the project will have its kick-off meeting.
Read more on the project. 
FORINER

The FORINER Project aims to address the educational needs of Foreign National Prisoners across Europe. EuroPris is an Associate Partner to this EU funded project of the Erasmus+ Programme. After a successful pan-European Conference in London last October, the Project has now moved into its 6 month pilot phase testing out a number of innovative models for delivering educational courses and materials to foreign national prisoners through bringing together educational providers, prisons and prison services from throughout Europe. The results from the pilots will be disseminated at the end of project conference in Belgium towards the end of 2017. Full details of the project, the pilots and their progress, available from the Project Coordinator at VOCVO Belgium and on the website www.foriner.eu  

Academy of European Law Seminar

On 9-10 February 2017 in Madrid, Spain, the first seminar in a series of four co-funded by the European Commission on issues related to countering terrorism and preventing radicalisation in prisons, will focus on mutual legal assistance in countering terrorism and exchanging information. The new fourth AML Directive as well as the latest EU Action Plan for strengthening the fight against terrorist financing will also be analysed. 
For further information and registration click here
Academy of European Law Seminar

On 23-24 February 2017 in Bucharest, Romania the fourth seminar in a series of five related to detention, co-funded by the European Commission, will focus on best practice in relation to alternatives to detention, viable alternatives, including probationary measures and electronic monitoring, the application and correct use of Framework Decisions 2008/947/JHA on probation and alternative sanctions. 
For further information and registration click here
Upcoming Events
ERA Seminar - Mutual Legal Assistance in Countering Terrorism and Exchanging Information [More info]
9-10 February, Madrid, Spain

EuroPris Radicalisation in Prisons Workshop [More info]
16-17 February, Brussels, Belgium

CJP Seminar on Victims' Directive [More info]
23 February, Brussels, Belgium

ERA Seminar - Alternatives to Detention in the EU [More info]
23-24 February, Bucharest, Romania

1st International Correctional Research Symposium [More info]
27-29 March, Ghent, Belgium

EuroPris Forecasting Workshop [More info]
30 March, Ghent, Belgium

VOCVO Training on Prison Education [More info]
24-28 April, Mechelen, Belgium

2nd Technology in Corrections Conference [More info]
15-17 May, Prague, Czech Republic

COPE Annual Conference
19 May, Naples, Italy

EuroPris Annual General Meeting and Conference [More info]
19 June, Lillestr�m, Norway

Council of Europe Conference of Directors of Prison and Probation Services
20-21 June, Lillestr�m, Norway

CJP Platform Summer Course [More info]
4-7 July, Barcelona, Spain
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. FD 909 prisoner information sheets [Download]
6. Presentations National Foreign Offenders Workshop [ Download]
7. Presentations National Foreign Offenders Training [Download]
8. Presentations European Prison Regime Forum Workshop [Download]
9. EuroPris Radicalisation Expert Group Report - Prison Chaplaincy [Download]
10. EuroPris Real Estate and Logistics Expert Group Report - Public Private Partnership [Download]
11. EuroPris FD 909 Expert Group - Working Group Report 2016  [Download] 
12. EuroPris ICT in Prisons Expert Group Report - Telemedicine [Download]
13. EuroPris ICT in Prisons Expert Group Report - Cloud and Data Protection [Download]
14. EuroPris ICT in Prisons Expert Group Report - Collaboration between police and penal system [Download]
15. R2PRIS Methodological Framework [Download]
16.Prison Work Models Critical Review - ECOPRIS Project [Download]
17. Staff Training Needs Analysis Study - IDECOM Project [Download]
18. UNODC Handbook on Violent Extremism [Download]
19. FRA Report on Fundamental Rights Aspects in Cross Border Transfers [Download]
20. Suicide Prevention Guidelines [Download]
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.