Reintegration into Society through Education and Learning ... · Reintegration into Society through...

Reintegration into Society through Education and Learning [RiSE]

Editors: Dr Catherine Maunsell; Dr Liz McLoughlin; Dr Jane Carrigan; Valerie McLoughlinJune 2013

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Grundtvig Learning Partnership:Reintegration into Society through Education and Learning (RiSE)

Grundtvig Learning Partnership:Reintegration into Society

through Education and Learning (RiSE)

Editors: Dr Catherine Maunsell; Dr Liz McLoughlin;

Dr Jane Carrigan; Valerie McLoughlin

June 2013

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Organisation Descriptor Contributors to the Position Paper (alphabetical order)

FrauenComputerZentrumBerlin A non-profit organisation providing Irina Meyere.V. – Germany adult education for a broad range of

target groups including both prisoners and prison staff

L4 - Adult Education – Belgium The regional network of 12 centres Tineke Tailleur; Pieter of adult and basic education in the TratsaertLeuven region, which coordinates prison education in the two prisons of Leuven.

Défi-job – Luxembourg A non-profit organisation located in Paula Gomes; Inesa semi-open prison which develops Kurschatprojects in the field of the socio-professional reintegration of prisoners

Criminal Sanctions Region of Involving six prisons, two community Pertti Hakkarainen; HeikkiSouthern Finland – Finland sanctions offices and an assessment Takkunen

centre with the overall aim to increase the sentenced offenders’ abilities to adopt a life without crime and to promote their reintegration into society

Vollzugsdirektion, Department The Austrian prison authority, which Manuela Gruber; Elfriedeof Care and Services – Austria coordinates the social, psychological, Kerle; Andrea Moser-

psychiatric, pastoral and educational Riebniger; Marit Weihencare of prisoners

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität A University institution which develops Daniela Fahrnbach; AstridMainz, Centre for Continuing various research projects in the field of Sänger; Gisela Zwigart-Education – Germany lifelong learning and offers advanced Hayer

education for, among others, prison staff

IJKK- Vocational Training Centre A vocational education institute Susanna Fabritius-Haveri– Finland focusingon education for students with nen; Else Joutsi

specialneeds and providing prevocational education for prisoners in three prisons in the Southern Finland region

Educational Disadvantage A centre located within the Faculty of Jane Carrigan; CatherineCentre, St. Patrick’s College, Education, St. Patrick’s College, Maunsell; Liz McLoughlin; Dublin City University – Ireland developing, among others, relevant Valerie McLoughlin

policy proposals for lifelong learning strategies to decrease social exclusion at a European and national level

The views expressed in this position paper are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the funding agencies.

RiSE PartnershipEight organisations from six countries are involved in the partnership:

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1. RiSE Partnership and Full List of Contributors

2. Table of Contents

3. Position Statement

4. Executive Summary

5. Introduction

6. Background Context

7. 5 RiSE Principles • Person at the Centre• Common Coordinated Mission• Continuum of Education and Learning• Strengthening the Evidence Base • Advocacy of Prison Education and Learning

8. Models of Good Practice• GPM 1A Individual Sentence Plans (CSSF -Finland)• GPM 1B Reflection (IJKK - Finland)• GPM 1C "Workshop for determining competences of prisoners” in Rhineland-Palatinate

since 2006 (ZWW-Mainz, Germany)• GPM 2A “Transit”: Organisational development in Berlin’s prisons for adult men (FCZB –

Berlin, Germany)• GPM 2B Monitoring of the development of the organisational process in

Rhineland-Palatinate in different fields of action (ZWW – Mainz, Germany)• GPM 2C Role of networks between prisons and the outside (DÉFI-JOB - Luxembourg)• GPM 2D Strategic Plan: Legislative/Policy landscape (L4 - Belgium)• GPM 3A Facharbeiterintensivausbildung/ Intensive training for skilled workers

(Vollzugsdirektion - Austria)• GPM 3B Focus on the transition management and the monitoring aer release (Prison of

Zweibrücken in cooperation with the Vocational Training Center Zweibrücken, describedby ZWW Mainz)

• GPM 4A Irish Research Study on Prisoner Learner Perspectives on Learning in Prison(EDC - Ireland)

• GPM 5A “Jailbird”: Raising awareness through design (DÉFI-JOB – Luxembourg)

9. Bibliography and Relevant Links

10. Appendices

Table of Contents

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RiSE partners have collaboratively produced the firstEuropean position paper that aims to set a newframework for reintegration into society throughprison education and learning; a frameworkunderpinned by the tenet that investment in prisoneducation and learning, yielding positive returns ineconomic, social and human capital, is an investmentfor all of society.

e partnership illustrates the value of exchangingexperiences and developing links between educationalpractitioners, prison/support staff and researchers fromacross Europe. Drawing on a multidisciplinaryevidence base, the position paper offers a uniqueperspective on prison education and learning whichpromotes the importance of an holistic learningapproach, both in and outside prison.

Endorsing five key principles, the RiSE partnershipregards the prisoner as the person at the centre of theirreintegration into society through education andlearning. Underpinned by a common coordinatedmission, reintegration must be supported by all prisonstakeholders, in tandem with prisoners and theirsignificant support relationships and alongside relevantexternal stakeholders. A continuum of education andlearning informed by good practice and thestrengthening of research in the field are prerequisitesto successful reintegration. Finally, advocating for thisparadigm shi, where prisoner education and learningis viewed as at the core of reintegration, this paper callsfor enhanced political and public awareness leading tosustainable policy change in the field.

Position Statement

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e Grundtvig Learning Partnership RiSE:Reintegration into Society through Education andLearning was established in 2011 with the primaryobjective of contributing to the social and educationalparticipation of prisoners. e partnership comprisessix EU member states; Austria, Belgium, Finland,Germany, Ireland and Luxembourg, withrepresentatives from penal institutions, organisationsproviding educational and social supports for prisonersand academic institutions. Over the course of two years,partners have exchanged ideas and knowledge abouteducational approaches and practices with an aim ofpromoting education and learning in prisons acrossEurope.

rough collaboration RiSE partners have produced aposition paper on prison education and learning thatdraws from the multidisciplinary practices andperspectives of the partnership and is in alignment withthe strategic objectives of the Council of the EuropeanUnion’s Strategic Framework for EuropeanCooperation in the area of Education and Training2020 (ET2020). Just as EU education policy has madeits first specific reference to prison education and itssignificance for adult learning, the RiSE position papernow offers a highly salient, evidence-based and timelyperspective on how prison education and learningshould be.

e position paper sets out five key principles;

• Person at the Centre• Common Coordinated Mission• Continuum of Education and Learning• Strengthening the Evidence Base• Advocacy for Prison Education and Learning

e RiSE partnership adopts an approach which regardsthe person at the centre. It views prison as a learningenvironment with the potential to support prisoners’building of social and human capital followingreintegration into society.

e challenges facing each prisoner in achievingreintegration are undeniable. A common coordinatedmission is required through which prison/support staff,supported by decision makers inside and outside theprison, work jointly with the prisoner in addressing suchchallenges. Adopting a continuum of education andlearning supports the view of prison as a holistic learningenvironment.

RiSE acknowledges that prison education and learninghas been under-researched and calls for strengtheningof the evidence base, recognising that investment inresearch will contribute to increased understanding andpolicy and practice change in the field. At both nationaland European levels, RiSE calls for the advocacy ofprison education and learning, as integral to successfulreintegration.

Each principle is underpinned by models of goodpractice endorsed by the RiSE partners. ese modelsshare common features, most notably a focus onprisoners and their reintegration into society througheducation and learning.

Drawing on these five key principles, the position paperoffers a fundamental strategic opportunity to makelifelong learning a reality, particularly for those whohave been traditionally marginalised. e overall visionof the partnership is the creation of a prison learningculture in which the prisoner is the person at ‘thecentre’ of practice, organisational leadership andultimately, of wider policy.

Executive Summary

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e central tenets of this RiSE position paper on prisoneducation and learning, drawing deeply from themultidisciplinary practices and perspectives in thepartnership, are in clear alignment with the four strategicobjectives of the Council of the European Union’sStrategic Framework for European Cooperation in thearea of Education and Training 2020 (ET2020) namely; • Making lifelong learning a reality• Improving the quality and efficiency of education

and training• Promoting equity, social cohesion and active

citizenship and• Enhancing creativity and innovation, including

entrepreneurship, at all levels of education andtraining.

e right to education for all has been established by anumber of European and International conventions.1

In Europe, the right of prisoners to access andparticipate in educational opportunities while in prisonhas been supported by a number of policy documentssuch as the European Prison Rules (updated in 2006)and the Council of Europe’s Education in Prison (1990)document.

In 2010 the European Commission organised aconference on the subject of prison education entitledPathways to Inclusion – Strengthening EuropeanCooperation in Prison Education and Training. As aresult of the conference a comprehensive review ofprison education was commissioned in which it isacknowledged that there is an increasing understandingof the legal and educational rights of prisoners in Europeand that more and more countries had recognised theneed to solve the challenges of prison education throughEuropean co-operation (Hawley, 2011). However, AlanSmith, former director of the Directorate General forEducation and Culture (DGEAC), still notes that ‘…despite the right to education anchored in internationalagreements, provision is very unequal between and withinEuropean countries’ (2012).

Notwithstanding this imbalance in educational provisionin prison, an individual’s access to and participation ineducation and learning opportunities while in prison arewidely acknowledged as having a significant contributionto his or her successful reintegration, and the lowering ofthe risk of recidivism (Hawley 2010, 2011, Hawley et. al.,2012, 2013). Although it is recognised that prisoneducation and learning are only one element of widersupport needed to facilitate prisoners’ reintegration intosociety, the provision of education and trainingopportunities in prison was endorsed by Hawley (2010)as a ‘...vital element of penal policy’ (p. 10).

For the first time in the context of adult learning policypriorities, the Council of the European UnionResolution on a Renewed European Agenda for AdultLearning (12/2011) includes specific reference to prisoneducation. According to Smith, prison education hasemerged as an issue ‘which is now on the map’ (2012).

e growing policy interest in prison education andlearning takes place within the context of growingprisoner numbers, with European and world prisonpopulation rates on the increase2. Furthermore, manyprisoners have experienced marginalisation throughsocial and educational disadvantage (cf. Hawley, 2013).

It is in this broad context, and drawing deeply as it doeson practice in the field, that this position paper is bothhighly salient and timely. Enhancing prison educationand learning offers a fundamental strategic opportunityto widen participation in lifelong learning activities, andparticularly for those who have been traditionallymarginalised (cf. Maunsell & Downes, 2013; Maunsell,Downes & McLoughlin, 2008).

Introduction

1 Cf. The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights2 Although there are significant differences across European member states.

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e Grundtvig Learning Partnership “RiSE” wasestablished in 20113 with the intention to contribute toa broader social and educational participation ofprisoners. e specific aims and objectives of thepartnership were to:

• collect and systematise materials, curricula andgood practice examples

• examine existing approaches in terms of theirtransferability

• disseminate the results into broader networks,contribute to the efforts undertaken in andoutside the prison to optimise the prisoner’spathways towards reintegration into the society

• detect missing gaps and links • involve partners inside and outside prison in the

reintegration of prisoners, with a particular focuson civil society and the labour market.

Over the period of two years, 2011-2013, RiSErepresentatives from penal institutions, organisationsproviding education for prisoners and educationalresearch institutions have exchanged ideas and sharedknowledge about educational approaches and practiceswith the aim of promoting lifelong learning in prisonsacross Europe. An explicit objective of the partnershipwas to also engage with stakeholders from multi-disciplinary backgrounds, ranging from prisonpersonnel, external service providers andrepresentatives from justice and educationadministrations. During a series of study visits hostedby each partner organisation, existing approaches,methods and instruments related to prison educationand learning were compared and the transferability ofselected models was discussed.

Emerging from the partnership’s commitment to theRiSE objectives and the experiential learning gainedthrough dialogue and study visits, this paper endorsesa position on prison as a learning environment whichhas the potential to support prisoners’ building of socialand human capital, whereby they can forge a path

towards ‘making good’ in their reintegration intosociety.

e RiSE partnership adopts a person-centredapproach which recognises prisoners as at the centre oftheir own learning, and argues that it is incumbent onthe prison system to support prisoners achievingsuccessful reintegration into society, beginning fromthe day of admission to prison and continuing beyondthe prison gates post-release. Access to andparticipation in education and learning opportunitiesin prison and upon release are seen as essentialpathways to achieve this goal.

Educational and learning opportunities on offer in aprison context also need to be framed by a holisticapproach (Fleischmann, 2010) where the followinginterrelated areas should underpin educationalprovision:

• social learning (e.g. social skills, ethical values,critical reflection)

• active citizenship (e.g. learning of/fordemocracy)

• vocational training (e.g. vocational skills,employability)

• lifelong learning (e.g. schooling, educationalqualifications)

Furthermore, all aspects, including prison structures,networks both inside and outside prison, staff skills andteaching and learning methodologies, need to beconsidered to enable the prisoner to successfullynegotiate their individual learning processes.

Assuming individual responsibility on the part of aprisoner is difficult in the ‘total institution’ of a prisonsetting. e broad aims of imprisonment – socialreintegration/increasing desistance - can seldom bereached and necessary elements of empathy andsolidarity are seldom realised under prison conditions(cf. Walter 2007). Challenges posed therefore include:

Background Context

3 A number of RiSE partners had also participated in an earlier related Grundtvig Learning Partnership 2009-2011 ‘HIPPO’: How Individual learning Pathways arePossible for Offenders (see HIPPO 2011) where the approach to learning was founded on the premise that individuals can develop and learn during lifelong learningprocesses and that education processes (formal, informal, non-formal) need to be motivating, well planned and structured. This is the case especially needed in aclosed prison environment where lack of individual participation can be a barrier to a motivating learning environment.

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how might such adverse elements of imprisonment(loss of autonomy, social isolation, adopting ofsubcultures) be mediated, how might social integrationand desistance in closed prison systems be enhanced?

is position paper outlines five key principles whichseek to address such key challenges:

• Person at the Centre • Common Coordinated Mission• Continuum of Education and Learning• Strengthening the Evidence Base• Advocacy of Prison Education and Learning

Each principle is supported by models of good practicewhich RiSE partners have been involved in the ideation,design and delivery of - a number of which werepresented to partners across study visits as havingpotential for transferability across contexts. e goodpractice models selected share common features, mostnotably a focus on the impact on the prisoner in respectof his/her reintegration into society through education

and learning.

While a complex and challenging ambition, the overallvision of the partnership is the creation of a prisonlearning culture in which the prisoner is at ‘the centre’of practice, organisational leadership and ultimately, ofwider policy. is ‘paradigmatic shi’ is inherentlydependent on the prerequisites of: a common co-ordinated mission, continuum of education andlearning, a strong evidence base to ground decision-making and advocacy for an enhanced awareness of theissues involved.

Grounded in experience, these principles are derivedfrom a reflection on current research and practice-based evidence held by partners. Consideration of theprinciples outlined in this position paper, inconjunction with the models of good practice, regardthe prisoner as at the centre of an inclusive approach toeducation and learning in the context of prison.

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e reality for prisoners, oen is that the penal justicesystem is comprised of at least five sectors (education,rehabilitation, work, security and administration) each ofwhich have their own assigned personnel, professionalroles and visions concerning their functioning within thesystem. Sectors within the system can oen competerather than cooperate with each other about issues suchas resources and power. is can have an impact not onlyon system costs but can from the prisoner perspective haveadverse implications for the prevention of recidivism andultimately lead to less effective ways to support prisonersto reintegrate into society’s normal functions upon release.In effect, rather than being at the centre of their learning,prisoners are being treated as “others”, constituting Buber’stheory of ’I-IT’ interactions instead of ’I-YOU’ interactions(Buber, 1923).

In desistance research, certain key factors emergedconsistently that could improve lifelong learning forprisoners. ese key factors include:

1) A holistic approach in support of prisoners,learning and change;

2) Importance of the prisoner’s own motivation andownership of the learning and change processes;

3) Orientation towards a positive future identityand

4) Sustaining hope about possibility of achieving thisnew identity (McNeill at al., 2012).

Consistent with an holistic viewpoint the RiSEpartnership position is that the theories of desistanceand Good Lives Model (GLM) in placing the prisonerat the centre, offer an alternative rehabilitative approachto the dominant mainstream Risk Need Responsivity(RNR) approach, leading to better and more farreaching outcomes for the individual, the system andwider society (cf. Ward, 2013).

Good Lives Model (GLM): e Good Lives Model is a new and growing paradigmin offender rehabilitation (Ward & Maruna, 2007). emodel outlines a strengths-based approach where the

5 RiSE Principles

PRINCIPLE 1: Person at the Centre

Synopsis: rough the RiSE partnership process, certain key factors emerged consistently that could improve lifelonglearning for prisoners. ese same factors, a holistic approach, prisoner’s own motivation and ownership,positive future identity and the sustaining of hope, are salient across a range of theoretical frameworks fromhumanistic through to the more recent capabilities approach. ese factors regard the prisoner as at the centreof her/his own learning processes leading to successful reintegration. In desistance literature and research, the‘Good Lives Model’ has emerged as an alternative to the dominant Risk-Need-Responsivity approach (Wardand Maruna 2007)

Keywords: Desistance from crime instead of risk management; goals of change for a good life; individual sentence plan;individual strengths; primary needs vs. criminogenic needs/risks; hope; motivation; ownership; positive futureidentity

Good Practice Model 1A: Individual Sentence Plans (CSSF -Finland)Good Practice Model 1B: Reflection (IJKK - Finland)Good Practice Model 1C: "Workshop for determining competences of prisoners” in Rhineland-Palatinate since2006 (ZWW-Mainz, Germany)

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prisoner takes ownership of the desistance process andis supported by staff in the journey. e GLM stressesthe importance of an Individual Sentence Plan.However, Ward (2013) notes that ‘the actual content ofoffenders’ good lives plans will vary depending on theirpre-existing commitments and priorities. What thismeans in practice is that each plan is likely to containoverlapping, but possibly incommensurate, value systemsthat translate different personal, cultural, religious, andpolitical norms into plans for living’ (Ward, 2013: 706).

e GLM holds the person at the centre4. Marshall etal., 2005 argue that this model, with its focus onsupporting prisoners to identify and develop skills,competencies, values, opportunities and social supportsto meet their needs, will by enhancing the well-beingof the prisoner, reduce the likelihood that they willcontinue to harm themselves and others. While alwaysviewing the person at the centre, a dynamic, co-operative interplay between the prisoner andprison/support staff is a key element in the success ofthe desistance process. According to McNeill‘...Desistance-supporting interventions need to respectand foster agency and reflexivity; they need to be basedon legitimate and respectful relationships; they need tofocus on social capital (opportunities) as well as humancapital (motivations and capacities); and they need toexploit strengths as well as addressing needs and risks’(2006: 55).

Consideration of the individuality/heterogeneity of theprisoner is also highly salient. Factors that influenceand impact on an individual’s learning skills need to betaken into account and include, inter alia, age, gender,socio-economic status, ethnicity, personal andeducational biography, motivation, socio-emotionalstatus, personal, situational and cultural factors.

‘Perhaps the most obvious problem that might beconfronted by anyone seeking to envision further or evenenact this paradigm, is that the communities on whichits ultimate success would depend may lack the resourcesand the will to engage in supporting desistance, preferring

to remain merely ‘punishing communities’ (Worrall andHoy, 2005). is is, of course, an issue for any form of‘offender management’ or reintegration. However, ratherthan letting it become an excuse for dismissing theparadigm, it should drive us to a recognition of the needfor offender management agencies to re-engage withcommunity education and community involvement andto seek ways and means, at the local level and at thenational level, to challenge populist punitiveness(Bottoms, 1995) and to offer more progressivealternatives’ (McNeill, 2006: 57).

e challenges facing each prisoner in achievingdesistance are undeniable; the RiSE partnershipposition holds that what is necessary is to supportprisoners towards identifying and developing theirindividual resources, strengths and competencesthrough reflecting on their current situation, takingownership of their holistic identity and their owndevelopment towards a better future5. What is alsoclear is that the realisation of this ‘ideal’ requires acommon coordinated approach through whichprison/support staff work in tandem with the prisonerat the centre thus enhancing the likelihood of a lastingchange process upon release (Stahl, 2010).

4 See Appendix A. Glossary of Keywords in relation to the “Good Life Model” GLM and the “Desistance Process” DP5 See Appendix B. Operationalising GLM: A Hypothetical Model

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ere are many professionals involved in thedevelopment, planning and implementation ofeducational provision in prisons, including decisionmakers in the relevant justice and educationaladministrations, prison governors/leaders and theheads of the prisons’ educational and labour divisionsto educationalists, social workers, prison staff alongsidea range of other service providers.

At the same time, prisons are systems with an inbuiltlack of flexibility due to structural conditions (e.g.security aspects). For the reorganisation of existingeducation and learning arrangements in prison and forthe development of the prison towards a learningenvironment, both prison/support staff and decision

makers in the penal institutions and in the justiceadministrative authorities play a major role. eiractive involvement is an essential prerequisite for thesustainable implementation of any innovation affectingeveryday life in prison. ere are, however, variousfactors hindering the motivation and commitment ofprison/support staff in this respect, ranging fromfinancial and human resources constraints to thesometimes contradictory practices/cultures across thedifferent professional services working within a prison.

e concept of organisational development in generalis to improve the effectiveness of an organisation andat the same time to increase the quality of the workingconditions. While a standardised definition of

Principle 2: Common Coordinated Mission

Synopsis: As was highlighted across all the partner member states involved in the RiSE partnership, for the effectiveimplementation of education and learning programmes in prison, even the most innovative educationalapproaches do not work without: - Prison/support staff who act as role models and facilitators of prisoners’ learning- e support of decision makers inside and outside prison- Close and sustainable communication, cooperation and commitment between actors/institutions

inside and outside the prison- Involvement of the prisoner at the centre of the learning process. Moreover, not only do all relevant actors need to be involved but their activities must be based on a commoncoordinated mission which is transparent to all.

Keywords: Communication; cooperation and commitment between all the actors; leadership, process orientation; personaland organisational development; transparency; sustainable; communication and structure of communications;inclusion of decision-makers; well-co-ordinated system of release and reintegration; multi-disciplinarity; linkinginside with outside.

Good Practice Model 2A: “Transit”: Organisational development in Berlin’s prisons for adult men (FCZB –Berlin, Germany)Good Practice Model 2B: Monitoring of the development of the organisational process in Rhineland-Palatinatein different fields of action (ZWW – Mainz, Germany)Good Practice Model 2C: Role of networks between prisons and the outside (DÉFI-JOB - Luxembourg)Good Practice Model 2D: Strategic Plan: Legislative/Policy landscape (L4 - Belgium)

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organisational development is still missing,nevertheless, Kieser& Ebers summarise the sharedtendencies which are associated with organisationaldevelopment (2006: 153)

• e process is the focus and is supported by theindividuals involved.

• e assistance of an external facilitator is neededin support of the process, to structure andactivate problem solving.

• e aim of the organisation and the staff areequal and can be dealt with simultaneously.

us, the process itself is of utmost importance. eorganisation is dependent on the attitude of itsmembers, internal and external communicationstructures, the objectives and structures of theorganisation as well as the organisational environment.Personnel and organisational development processesfacilitating the motivation of the prison/support staff toparticipate in change processes contribute to theiridentification with innovative education and learningapproaches. In addition, binding and reliable structuresof interaction between the professional services need tobe established. ereby, a common vision should becreated and the expectations, roles andresponsibilities of each member of staff should beclarified.

e sustainable implementation of prison educationand learning requires an organisational and culturaldevelopment in which the process must be supportedby prison leadership, prison/support staff across allsectors, education practitioners, co-operating/externalpersonnel and the prisoner.

In relation to the reintegration of the prisoner, there isa clear need to ensure the sustainability of educationalprogrammes in prison. Furthermore, the release ofprisoners needs to be well prepared and strong links tothe outside world need to be established. For manyprisoners, the transition process between prison andrelease is a huge challenge and many face significant

obstacles in relation to successful reintegration.

ere are various actors involved in the reintegrationprocess, ranging from the prison and probationservices, public authorities, labour market, socialpartners and other organisations, prisoners, theirfamilies and/or significant support relationships. Toooen, however, an integrated approach within andacross the different actors and agencies is not in place.

A common coordinated mission which places theprisoner as the person at the centre of their learningand desistance processes, views prison as a learningsystem and serves as an orientation for the internal andco-operating/external staff and presents theorganisation to the outside. is position paper positsthe need to include the prisoner as integral to theprocess of arriving at a common coordinated mission– thereby ensuring the sustainability and efficacy of theprocess. Furthermore, the process to structure andactivate the common coordinated mission by all actorsinvolved must also be supported by wider political andorganisational leadership. A legislative basis for prisoneducation and learning can also be a key prerequisiteunderpinning a common coordinated mission.

From a holistic perspective, the RiSE partnership,strongly promotes the importance of having a commoncoordinated mission, while acknowledging theinherent challenges in adopting this principle, and takesthe position that this principle is a prerequisite for allthe actors both in and outside prison to fully fosterprisoner reintegration and the likelihood of desistancefrom crime in their future lives.

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In alignment with the wider EU lifelong learningagenda, this principle perceives prison education andlearning as having the central objective of promotionof access to education and learning opportunities forall, particularly those most marginalised.

Prisoners are one of the most marginalised groups insociety and their access to and participation ineducational provision is limited (cf. Hawley, 2013). Inaccordance with the social pillar of the Lisbon Strategyto combat social exclusion and to invest in humanresources, the RiSE partnership is addressing the socio-economically disadvantaged group of prisoners whohave been shown to have significantly lower levels ofbasic skills and other educational qualifications whencompared with general populations outside the prisoncontext (Hofinger et al., 2009). Even within a prisonpopulation, there exists a diverse range of needsamongst, for example, youth, female prisoners, andmigrant prisoners, who need additional or specialist

support in their education and learning from thoseworking in and outside of the prisons.

Moreover, it has also been found that prisoners are notonly overrepresented in terms of exclusion from thelabour market during their detention but before andaerwards. e 2010 Council Decision on guidelinesfor the employment policies points out that the socialinclusion needs to be enforced and there may not beexclusion in the working world. In European society,social integration is connected closely with educationalintegration.

e principle of continuum of education and learningcan centrally contribute to the European employmentstrategy of a stronger inclusion of marginalised groupsby strengthening the employability of prisonersthrough prison education and learning.

It is widely acknowledged that obtaining secure

Principle 3: Continuum of Education and Learning

Synopsis: rough the RiSE partnership process and in line in particular with Principle 1, the Person at the Centre, thePrinciple of Continuum of Education and Learning emerged. is principle argues that prisons must be seen aslearning environments in which alternative perspectives for a ‘good life’ can be facilitated and supported. usprison education and learning is embedded within the context of an evidence-informed continuum of educationand learning which is flexible, needs-led and accessible to prisoners and prison/support staff.

Keywords: Lifelong learning; equality, opportunity; interdisciplinarity; cooperation; management support; prison as alearning environment for both prisoners and prison/support staff; empowerment; needs assessment; IndividualEducational Plans; feedback loops; holistic, flexible, learning environments.

Good Practice Model 3A: Facharbeiterintensivausbildung/ Intensive training for skilled workers(Vollzugsdirektion - Austria)Good Practice Model 3B: Focus on the transition management and the monitoring aer release (Prison ofZweibrücken in cooperation with the Vocational Training Center Zweibrücken, described by ZWW Mainz)

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employment upon release positively impacts onrecidivism rates (Wirth, 2010) and furthermorecontributes to the prisoner successfully reintegratinginto society. us, employment is a highly desirable,albeit hard to achieve, outcome of the work withprisoners both in prison and upon release.

One of the main objectives of working with prisonersis that individuals who have poor educationalqualifications must be supported to take part ineducation and learning opportunities during their timein prison.

is position paper further holds that while prisonereducation and learning are central, the continuum ofeducation and learning also applies to prison/support

staff in order to enhance the motivation andcommitment of the staff involved to support anyinnovative approaches within their own prison system.

Equality, opportunity and interdisciplinarity lie at thecore of a professional approach. It is imperative that theinterdisciplinary fields of social work, psychology andpedagogy are engaged in this approach. It is essentialthat prison/support staff are sensitive to the needs ofthe prisoner while actively engaging with thecontinuum of education and learning. In order toguarantee successful interdisciplinary cooperation, it isvital that at the centre of interest, management-levelsupport, as well as an adherence to the general principleof lifelong learning, is in evidence.

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us, in order to realise this, it is incumbent on theinterdisciplinary teams of the prison/support staff toexplore the needs of the prisoner by arranging for aneeds assessment in order to construct an individualeducation plan (IEP), with the prisoner at the centre.

Working towards empowerment, the prison/supportstaff needs to accentuate the individual strengths andcapabilities of the prisoner, rather than concentrate onweaknesses. During the needs assessment, theinterdisciplinary team has to identify and define theindividual education needs of the prisoner, thuscreating an Individual Education Plan (IEP). is hasthe advantage of being flexible, current, transparent andcan be documented.

For all prison/support staff and prisoners, sufficienttime must be allowed for feedback and reflection.Feedback loops should be employed regularly; theseallow for examining the efficacy of the establishedinterventions and for discussion of any further ordifferent action to be taken, such as sentence plans orIEPs.

Upon release, external institutions need to be involvedin supporting the prisoner’s efforts in self-managingtheir own post-release opportunities.

It is clear that a broad spectrum of education andlearning needs are to be supported, and obstacles toaccessing education and learning opportunities are tobe addressed. e use of modern technology could beseen as a quantum leap in the development of prisoneducation and learning, as is evidenced in the projectELIS6. e benefits of this are not merely the moreefficient use of technology, but the integration of thesemethods leading to both individual support and thebolstering of key competences that will continue to aidthe prisoner upon release especially with regard toemployment prospects.

is principle shows clearly, that prisons must be seenas holistic, flexible learning environments supportingthe prisoner’s consideration of alternative perspectiveson self-management and preparation for a ‘good’ lifeaer prison and that furthermore, prison/support staffare themselves, facilitated to engage in the continuumof education and learning.

6 Project ELIS in prisons in German speaking countries (partly Germany, Austria) is a good practice model of learning with modern technologies inside prisons ondifferent education levels (http://www.ibi.tu-berlin.de/projekte/elis_plattf/elis_plattf.htm)

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e importance of strengthening the evidence base onprison education and learning through a sustainedresearch agenda is unequivocal (Hawley, 2011) and thepotential of research to contribute to ourunderstanding of prison education and learning isacknowledged in this section. Research to date hashighlighted not just systemic deficits but also, inadopting a solution-focussed approach, demonstratesthe potential of research to propose evidence-basedsolutions to the challenges presented.

Key findings from EU research on prison educationhave drawn attention to prisoners as a marginalisedgroup. Munoz (2009), who as UN special rapporteuron the right to education, has written on the need toinclude prisoners in the discourse on rights toeducation and has also noted that the frequent focus onemployment objectives is narrower than what isrequired by respecting a prisoner’s right to education.He acknowledges that prisoners are a group “that facesendemic violations of its right to education” (p. 4) andhe identifies barriers that prisoners face in accessingprison education including dispositional ones such as

the impact of previous educational failure, low self-esteem, drug and alcohol abuse, disadvantagedchildhood and communication, mental health andlearning difficulties. Downes (2011) in a comparativereport of twelve European countries also highlights theimpact of many prisoners’ past experience of educationand their experienced alienation from the educationalsystem as a result. Hawley (2011) found that prisonermotivation to engage in education is an important issueand that a key challenging in encouraging participationto emerge from the literature was prisoners’ attitudestowards mainstream education.

Challenges for prison education identified bystakeholders at the 2010 European Commission“Pathways to Inclusion” conference include inter alia;the effects of overcrowding7, the growing diversity ofthe prison population, increasing financial constraintsand a more competitive job market (Hawley, 2011).Other issues that have emerged from EU research onprison education and learning include the variationsamong different prisons in relation to communications

7 A potential means of addressing overcrowding emerged from research which reported the use of wing based education within a number of prisons across England(Cf. Downes, 2011). This flexible approach to education delivery, Downes argues, may help in relation to overcoming problems of space but also has otherconsequences such as engaging more prisoners, increasing the profile of learning and creating a foundation that could support peer learning initiatives. Downesemphasised however that wing-based education should not be seen as replacing a prison education centre but rather should be seen as complementary to it.

Principle 4: Strengthening the Evidence Base

Synopsis: RiSE partners acknowledge the potential of research to contribute to our understanding of prison educationand learning. ere is however a dearth of research on education and learning within the prison environment.In keeping the person at the centre further research on prison education and learning needs to have prisoners’perspectives at its core. is principle highlights key challenges faced but also recognises the potential ofevidence based solutions for the challenges presented. Some key findings of EU research are identified and thewidespread consensus that prison education and learning plays a positive and rehabilitative role and contributesto prisoners’ successful reintegration into society is acknowledged.

Keywords: Potential of research; evidence based solutions; key findings of EU research; challenges; purpose of prisoneducation and learning; limited research; further research; prisoners’ perspectives.

Good Practice Model 4A: Irish Research Study on Prisoner Learner Perspectives on Learning in Prison (EDC- Ireland)

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technology (which included lack of emailcommunication with teachers combined with limitedor no internet access), and the role of prison/supportstaff in promoting prison education (cf. Downes, 2011). Differences in both the purpose of prison educationand what constitutes prison education have alsoemerged within a European context. Hawley’s (2011)report illustrates the existence of competingphilosophies related to the purpose of education withinthe prison and the implications that these differentphilosophies have on the type of educational courseson offer. In reviewing the literature, Hawley identifiedthat the different types of prison education and trainingfound in Europe can be separated into three broadtypologies;

• the first one is embedded in an academicideology and provides a broad curriculum

• the second focuses on basic and vocational skillsand is more geared toward employability while

• the third focuses on “correctional education” andprovides life skills of different types such as angermanagement.

Costelloe and Warner (2012), in their analysis of prisoneducation policy in Europe, have further highlightedalso the distinction between education and training anddistinguish the two with training defined as thelearning of a skill with a focus on employability andeducation on the other hand focused on promotingunderstanding and developing the capacity for criticalreflection. ey contend that much of the prisoneducation provided by some European member statesdoes not constitute education as it is understood by theCouncil of Europe. Indeed they argue that prisoneducation in Europe is oen less than it could be dueto “two related over-simplifications; rather than seeing‘the whole person’ in the prison, we see only thecriminal; and rather than offer adult education in all itschallenging richness, we offer only a limited range of‘skills’” (p. 14).

Despite the differing positions in respect of the purposeof prison education, Hawley found widespread

consensus that prison education plays a positive andrehabilitative role and contributes to prisoners’successful reintegration into society. Whileacknowledging this consensus, Hawley (2011) reportedthe limited research on this subject. e lack ofresearch on prison education has also been noted byMunoz (2009), and Wilson (2007) who, writing from aUK perspective, reports that in the past prisoneducation has been given little attention. Furtherresearch is also needed to address the dearth ofresearch on prisoner perspectives on prison education.In stressing the importance of research in strengtheningthe evidence base on learning in prison it is importantto acknowledge and adhere to Principle 1 of the RiSEproject which places ‘the person at the centre’. Furtherresearch however should be in line with Principle 1 andas such consideration to the prisoner learnerperspective should be given a central position withinresearch in the field.

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Michel Foucault, in his seminal work Discipline andPunish (1977), addresses the purpose of the institutionof the prison, and contends that there is a dual functionof prisons. Prisons are used as a means of detention butalso given the additional function of reformingprisoners. Moreover, he argues that prison is a place ofabsolute control over prisoners yet, for Foucault,abolishing the prison is unthinkable because it hasbecome so closely linked with the functioning ofsociety.

Notions of security are driven by the broader socio-economic and political landscape and as such, oeninfer the need for protection from prisoners’ actionsresulting in their imprisonment for the greater good ofsociety. us the general perception of prison is onewhich prioritises imprisonment for punishment andsecurity purposes, and oentimes, prisonerrehabilitation is lower on the list of both political andsocial agendas.

Investing in prison education and learning is stronglyadvocated so that prisons become learningenvironments with the necessary resources to give realprospects for the reintegration of prisoners.

Raising awareness of the evidence-base on the role ofprison education and learning in addressing rates ofrecidivism and the costs of re-offending to societyindicates that providing quality educational andlearning opportunities for prisoners is a moresustainable effective strategy in terms of increasingtheir employability thereby enhancing the likelihoodof their successful reintegration into society (cf. Hawley,2013).

A paradigm shi in political and public awareness andpolicy is warranted where prisoner education andlearning is at the core of the reintegration process.

is position paper holds that it is only by all actors,both in and outside of prison – prisoners, officers,psychologists, governors, social workers, teachers,decision-makers, families, volunteers– becomingactively involved in advocating for prison educationand learning to support the move beyond offending andtowards successful reintegration.

Advocating that prisoners are at the core of this processis key; without their proactive willingness andcooperation to develop social and professional skills, to

Principle 5: Advocacy of Prison Education and Learning

Synopsis: e RiSE partnership supports the advocacy of prison education and learning at national and European levels.e value of exchanging experiences and developing links with colleagues from across Europe was alsounderlined during the European Grundtvig Conference on Prison Education "Pathways to inclusion –Strengthening European Cooperation in Prison Education and Training" which took place in Budapest inFebruary 2010. One of the conference’s key messages was that through shared experiences and otheropportunities for mutual learning, it might be possible to create a common understanding and respect for eachother’s aims, motivations, approaches and needs.

Keywords: Advocating; prisons as learning environments; integration; raising awareness; responsibility of allactors; increasing employability; proactive willingness; reflection; willingness; prisoner at the centre.

Good Practice Model 5A: “Jailbird”: Raising awareness through design (DÉFI-JOB – Luxembourg)

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learn how to respect themselves and others, to stayaway from crime, to want to follow their desistancepath, without all this, nothing will change

e RiSE partnership advocates for the elaboration ofa new concept: through prison education and learning,prisons must become places wherein the prisoner cancome to reflect upon their previous identity withoffending, and to learn and think how to act differently;no longer ‘schools of crime’ but ‘positive learningenvironments’.

A place where each prisoner is at the centre of alearning environment that fosters curiosity and enablesprisoners to acquire personal and social competences,to participate in activities which are practical andrelated to real-world activities and to develop skills thatwill support their successful reintegration into society.

is position paper highlights through the inclusion ofgood practice models that there are prisons whereprisoners are given meaningful opportunities toparticipate in programmes of reflection, introspection,self- awareness, education and learning. ere areprison governors, policy makers, individuals workingin the field, and members of wider society defendinghuman rights, and advocating that prisons as they arecurrently perceived do not solve the problems of oursociety but rather create more. Some progress has beenmade but more is required.

Whatever the cost of this investment in prisoneducation and learning, it will be ‘a fraction...if we canprevent the creation of future victims of crime, with theassociated economic and social costs’ (UK Ministry ofJustice, 2011: 5).

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One example of a person-centered orientation is the useof individual sentence plans in the Finnish PrisonService. Every prisoner is assessed in the beginning ofhis/her prison sentence and most important risk factorsrelating to offending – so called ‘criminogenic needs’ -are defined. ese ‘criminogenic needs’ or risk factorscover the prisoner’s problems in the areas of 1)education and employment 2) economics and housing,2) social relations and lifestyle 3) alcohol and narcoticsand 4) thinking and attitudes. Aer the assessment,these risk factors are then transformed to goals ofchange and put into an individual sentence plan. isprocedure of assessment and planning follows theprinciples of so called Risk-Need-Responsivity (R-N-R)theories (Bonta, 2002). In almost every sentence planthere are goals concerning education and learning, aslack of education prevents many ex-prisoners to jointhe community aer their release. Sentence plans are made in co-operation with theprisoners and they follow a prisoner throughout thewhole sentence. Every official (prison/support staff) ofthe prison system has access to the database of sentenceplans and these plans are used to focus the co-operationwith the prisoner. Sentence plans are also followed upand updated. All this aims to make the processesaround imprisonment individual, goal oriented,systematic and holistic. Nevertheless, there is alsoroom for improvement as the model of assessingrisks/needs, plans for working on risk areas and

following up the plan have a connotation of “doingthings (assessments, plans & follow up) to an offender”.

Better practice example – individual plans fora better futureAccording to McNeill et al. (2012) ‘desistance researchsuggest that the factors behind the start of offendingbehavior are oen different from those behind itsabandonment’ (p 3). is means that it could be moreprofitable to focus even more on the person’s strengths(like the skills a person already has) instead of riskfactors, positive future goals (like getting an education)instead of risk management and on a different way oflooking at oneself (from offender to learner). Focusingon positive individual goals towards a newidentification also enhances a person’s motivation tochange and ownership of one’s sentence plan. isproduces commitment to change even at difficultmoments. McNeill et al. (2012) do in fact stress theimportance of sustaining hope.

Another way of saying this is the following:‘Interventions should be viewed as an activity thatshould add to an individual’s repertoire of personalfunctioning, rather than an activity that simply removesa problem, or is devoted to managing problems, as if alifetime of restricting one’s activity is the only way toavoid offending’. Education oen has a key role in this‘activity adding to an individual’s repertoire of personal

Principle 1: Person at the CentreGood Practice Models

Good Practice Model 1A:Individual Sentence Plans (CSSF -Finland)

Source: Criminal Sanctions Region of Southern Finland – Finland

Keywords: Assessment; risk factors; goals of change; individual sentence plan; individual strengths; hope;motivation; ownership; positive future identity; primary needs

Principle 1: Person at the Centre

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functioning8’. According to the Good Lives Model, allpeople aim for primary needs like healthy living andfunctioning, knowledge, recreational pursuits,excellence in work, autonomy and self-directedness,inner peace, relatedness to people, connection tocommunity, sense of purpose in life, creativity andhappiness. Many offenders try to achieve these primaryneeds by reaching for secondary goods/needs inantisocial ways. If we can make the sentence plan more like a “my planto change for the better future” and help a person to seehimself as a learner instead of an offender there is abetter possibility to “do something with the person”. Atthe same time we can also work with the person onhis/her primary needs instead of trying to work onmanaging or avoiding the person’s secondary needs.

8 http://www.goodlivesmodel.com/glm/GLM_Theory.html, 2012

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Reflection as a method of learning new ways ofthinking and as a start of new way of living isincontrovertible. However, reflection skills must belearned; they are not always instinctual. e pedagogicframework for teaching students who lack the skills ofreflection is one of critical pedagogy (cf. McLaren1995) and pedagogy of hope (cf. Freire 1992).Reflection and analyzing are at the core of thesetheories and the teacher uses them as a tool to facilitatethe prisoner to become the subject of his/her own life.Increasingly in our prisons are prisoners who lack thecognitive and emotional maturity needed inemployment and education. is lack compromisestheir ability, both during their prison sentence andpost-release, to engage successfully with either work oreducation. Five of the 8 students in the ceramicworkshop, prevocational education section highlightedin this Good Practice Model would belong to thiscategory; the remaining three have experience of eitheremployment or education and training. ere was one teacher with the eight students. As aconsensus decision, the task of the group was to designand produce a cup; this was to be given as a gi by theprisoners. e curriculum objective was that theprisoners learn decision making, reflection andevaluation; all the prisoners took part in planning andteaching.Because of the differing backgrounds and abilities ofthe group, the atmosphere was tense. e larger cohortstruggled with the methodology; the smaller one withfinding meaning or purpose to their tasks. What alsotranspired was that when facing difficulties with staying

on task, some of them oen attempted to sabotage theentire learning situation. e teacher oen haddifficulty keeping the prisoners on task as many couldnot concentrate, were restless, asking questions all thetime and disturbing others. e process could bedescribed as rather chaotic, becoming worse during theactual making of the item. Many of the prisoners foundusing the tools and materials difficult, as well asworking with the others in the group. However, bymeans of individual guidance they managed and finally,aer hard work and perseverance, all the cups werefinished.e following day, the reflection and discussion tookplace as is customary for the prisonersReflection Discussion is a continuous process and startsover again and again from 1 to 6.

e Spiral of Reflection Discussion6 What was my own effect to the whole learning

process?

5 Did I learn something?

4 What was best and worse in myworking?

3 What was my role and how didI manage?

2 What were the goals and whywas the task done?

1 What was done?

Each prisoner gives his/her input at each step of theSpiral of Reflection Discussion, listening to all the

Good Practice Model 1B:Reflection (IJKK- Finland)

Source: IJKK - Vocational Training Center - Finland

Keywords: Reflection skills; learning/teaching; analysing; reflection discussion; continuum of learning; criticalthinking


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comments, negative and positive, the teacher beingcareful to record correctly what is said. e discussionfinished with one more round of the group whereconclusions and areas of improvement are posited. Inthis particular instance, most of the group found thisprocess difficult as their behaviour and work madethem feel ashamed. Nevertheless the development ofthe prisoners’ reflection skills, so necessary to enablecritical thinking, made this process worthwhile. Criticalthinking is needed to be able to analyse one’s way of life.Reflection as a way of teaching in prison is challengingbut the skill of reflection is one of the most importantin the prisoner’s Desistance Process.

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9 DIE (German Institute for adult education): ProfilPASS. Bonn 2009, without pages, available from URL: http://www.profilpass-online.de, (05/12/2011)

Learning processes happen continually in all areas ofour lives. School, training and further educationrepresent thereby only a little part of the manifoldlearning places of one’s life. Starting from their own lifeexperiences, the ‘Workshop in prisons for determiningcompetences’ focuses on the owned biography of theprisoners, drawing on their strengths. Competencesdescribe applied knowledge and are therefore only tobe experienced when translated into actions.

e workshop is based on the methodical approach ofthe ProfilPASS9, which understands learning in abiographical context as a catalyst for educationalprocesses (Palka & Zwigart-Hayer, 2011:12). isapproach is extended in the workshops in the way that‘the prisoners… [are] experts not only of their ownbiography, but beyond that also of the immanentsolutions’ (ibid. p. 13). For this intensive work with thelives of the respective participants, a voluntaryparticipation and a trusting atmosphere, in whichdiscretion is guaranteed, are imperative.

e workshop stresses the individual responsibility ofeach person. If the prisoners need further support fromthe ZWW team at the Johannes Gutenberg-UniversityMainz they can get information, individual counsellingor even further training, e.g. CV-writing. Overall, it isimportant that the prison facilities offer the prisonersthe possibility of continuing support and counsellingabout education.

e Workshops ended in 2011 but however thecooperation with the prisons relating to competencesof prisoners continues to exist. Since 2011 the prisonscan get support in a train-the-trainer scheme toundertake the ‘Workshop in correctional facilities fordetermining competences’ in one’s own right.

Good Practice Model 1C:“Workshop in prisons for determining competences of prisoners” in Rhineland-Palatinate since 2006 (ZWW –Mainz, Germany)

Source: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Center for Continuing Education – Germany

Keywords: Ownership; expert of the learning process; individual responsibility; individual strengths andcompetences; trusting atmosphere; individual counselling; needs assessment; motivation; positive future identity;Individual Educational Plans


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Both organisational and personnel development areimportant factors to foster the identification of staffwith the values and goals of their organisation and toenhance their disposition for contributing to innovativeprocesses. As a model of good practice in terms oforganisational and personnel development, the project‘Transit’, which is currently being piloted in the Berlinprisons for male offenders, was identified. e ESFfunded project is running since January 2012 and it isbased on the results of the OASIS project –‘Improvement of labour market and social integrationin the Berlin penal system’ which was initiated in 2009.A particular characteristic of both projects is that fromthe very beginning, members of the prison andprobation service staff were actively involved in theproject development and implementation. In the context of ‘Transit’, apart from the establishmentof systematic and sustainable network structureslinking the prison with the outside, a broad range ofpersonnel and organisational development measuresis currently implemented.

e project’s contents and objectives:‘Transit’ aims at the sustainable social and labourmarket reintegration of young male prisoners throughthe approach of transition management. Transitionmanagement interconnects the process of preparationof release with a coordinated aercare and supported

reintegration process. e term ‘aercare’ refers to allmeasures to be continued aer leaving prison whichcontribute to the improvement of the individual livingconditions of former prisoners. To reach this goal, theproject addresses different target groups inside andoutside prison:

Inside Prison:• Staff of prison workshops are supported in the

development and piloting of innovativequalification modules for prisoners facilitatingtheir labour-market oriented qualification at theworkplace.

• Social workers being employed in Berlin prisonsfor male offenders are trained in the method ofcase management. Based on intensivecooperation with the probation service, they aresupporting the prisoners’ preparation for releasethrough a coordinated release strategy involvingactors both from the inside and the outside ofprison (‘transition management’).

• Prisoners get the opportunity to take part in newqualification modules in the prison workshops.As they belong to the most marginalised groupin terms of their access to education andqualification in prison, a particular focus is onthe participation of prisoners with immigrantbackground.

Principle 2: Common Coordinated MissionGood Practice Models

Good Practice Model 2A: ‘Transit’: Organisational development in Berlin’s prisons for adult men (FCZB - Berlin, Germany)

Source: FrauenComputerZentrumBerlin e.V. and Berlin Tegel prison – Germany

Keywords: Active Involvement of different prison services; sustainable network structures; personnel andorganisational development


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Outside Prison:• Staff members of the Berlin probation service

are also trained in the method of casemanagement which will be aerwards pilotedwith their clients. is will contribute to a timelyand well-coordinated preparation for release.ereby the probation officers closely collaboratewith the prison based social workers.

• External partners are involved in theestablishment of a networked system to plan thetransition process both during the imprisonmentand aerwards.

e goal of the personnel and organisationaldevelopment measures is to enable prison staffmembers to address the specific needs of prisoners.Common visions will be created and the expectations,roles and responsibilities of each member of staff willbe clarified. is will contribute to an improved cultureof collaboration and communication between theprofessional services in prison, which leads to a workatmosphere and learning environment whicheverybody can identify themselves with.

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Since 2011, the Centre for Continuing Education(ZWW) at the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainzsupports three prisons in Rhineland-Palatinate/Germany with the implementation of thestatutes of the State Youth Correctional Facilities Act. For implementing the basics of the prison-relatedpedagogical work in the respective areas, all relevantprocesses and procedures in the institutions can bestructured into fields of action. ese fields of actionare directed to the system of quality testing methodsand they cover the central areas in which thepedagogical work play a part in prison: CentralProcesses, Processes of Education, Advancement andLearning in prison, Staff, Infrastructure and GeneralConditions, Guidance and Steering and Evaluationand Quality Assurance (Hebart & Fleischmann, 2010:40).

Monitoring and counselling the organisationaldevelopment describes a way of working by letting theorganisation itself identify their scopes of work withinthe described fields of action. e process is understoodas a learning process. It is one step in the direction ofimplementing the idea of prison education. In line withthe key principles Person at the Centre’ and ‘CommonCoordinated Mission’, the team from ZWW supportsthe prisons in a way that the prison staff is in the centreof the organisational development. It describes thefields of action, identifies the difficulties and works

together on solutions. e team from ZWW- allowsspace for and gives support by monitoring andcounselling this organisational development of theprisons.

e working process itself is already seen as a processof learning in prison in a broader understanding - onthe level of the prisoners as well as on the level of theprison staff and the organisation as a whole.

Examples for concrete outputs Inside Prison:• regularly communication with the leaders of the

prisons in ‘steering groups’

• bringing staff of all parts of the organisations andof all hierarchies together

• Development and reflection of guiding principleswith over two thirds of the whole staff of theprisons participated

• Teambuilding processes

Examples for concrete outputs Outside Prison:

• Staff trainings in a qualification towardsEducational counselling and identification ofcompetencies

• Development of further training identified byprison personnel with the key aspect of reflectionimplementations in daily work

Good Practice Model 2B: Monitoring of the development of the organisational process in Rhineland-Palatinate in different fields of action(ZWW- Mainz, Germany)

Source: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Centre for Continuing Education – Germany

Keywords: Prison as a leaning system; holistic process for prison; staff groups and prisoners; development andreflection of guiding principles; organisational and personal development; transparency; communication andstructure of communications; teambuilding processes; management support; guidance; evaluation; qualityassurance


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Défi-job is a non-profit organisation playing a key-rolein networking between the semi-open prison ofGivenich10 and the outside world. Its main objectivesare to develop training projects to increase theemployability of prisoners — regardless of the sentencelength or the type of crime committed — and findemployment opportunities extra-muros for thoseprisoners who meet the formal labour marketrequirements. With the support of the ministries of Justice and Labourand the governor of the semi-open prison, Défi-jobcreated a multi-functional training workshopspecialising in carpentry, restoration of furniture andproduction of design objects. is project was createdto support a growing number of prisoners who do nothave a school diploma, lack work experience and socialcompetences thus being totally unemployable.Prisoners willing to participate in Défi-job’s trainingactivities must apply for a position and be selected. eselection procedure which involves several stakeholders(psycho-social-education services, probation officersand the deputy prosecutor), is based on the sentenceplan, a job interview and the motivation of the prisonertowards future social and professional reintegration.On gaining a position, the prisoner signs a standardemployment contract which enables him to pay tax, tomake social security contributions and to earn thenational minimum wage even though he works intra-muros.During the training activities, the prisoners have theirfirst contacts with the outside. e clients come to the

prison workshop to talk with the team about what theywant to be built or restored. is training scheme notonly allows the clients to come inside but also allowsthe prisoners to work outside for the clients. In thissituation, prisoners are always closely supervised by atrainer.According to the development and the evaluation ofeach prisoner, both discussed weekly by Défi-job andthe prison services, they can either be offered to staylonger in the training workshop or are oriented to theformal labor market outside. In this particular case,Défi-job acts as an employment agency. Having alreadya deep knowledge about the prisoner’s social andworking competences, Défi-job places them inenterprises or public administrations which haveagreed to be Défi-job partners in the process ofreintegrating prisoners in society. e prisoners cancontinue to improve their social and working skills andre-experience life outside prison walls. At the end ofthe working day they are driven back to the prison.During this transition period from custody to thecommunity, the information about the prisoner’sdevelopment, aspirations and needs keeps on flowingbetween inside and the outside partners engaged inthe reintegration process.Défi-job’s coaching and supervision mission ends whenprisoners are offered full time jobs upon release.

10 A rural area, 32 km away from the Capital of Luxembourg

Good Practice Model 2C: Role of networks between prisons and the outside (DÉFI-JOB –Luxembourg)

Source: Défi-job – Luxembourg

Keywords: Contacts with the outside; outsiders come inside; prisoners work outside; transition from custodyto the community


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e strategic plan of assistance and services forprisoners was launched by the Flemish Community in2000. is strategy covers six policy areas: welfare;health; employment; education; culture and sports. estrategy intended for the various services in the FlemishCommunity to work together in order to offer theseservices structurally to prisoners.e philosophy of the strategic plan is to bring theoutside world into the prison, based on the rationalethat prisoners are a part of society and will continue tobe a part of society aer their release; that prisoners arestill citizens and they are still entitled to all their humanrights - the only right they have lost is their freedom.e mission in terms of assistance and services toprisoners is as follows: ‘e Flemish communityguarantees the right of all detainees and theirimmediate social network to high-quality care andservices so that they can develop fully andharmoniously in society’.e Flemish government intended to signal throughthe strategy that prisoners remain full members ofsociety during their sentence and are entitled toassistance and services to achieve a standing in society.Regarding the policy area 'education', the strategy aimsto ensure that there is a coherent, integrated policy foreducation in prisons in Flanders. is policy is theresponsibility of the Consortia Adult Education.

e Decree of Adult Education (2007) created 13Consortia for Adult Education in Flanders. Due to thisdecree, the network of centres of basic and adulteducation have the legal obligation to provide prison

education. is approach creates the following benefitsfor prisoner learners:1 Prisoners benefit from trained and skilled teachers

from the outside who are informed of the latestdevelopments and modern teaching techniques(e.g. open learning centres) → Qualityimprovement

2 Teachers are not related to the inmates’punishment (they don’t work for Justice).

3 Prisoners have contact with someone from theoutside world; during classes they feel likestudents, not like prisoners.

4 Prisoners receive the same certificates as studentsin the outside world, with no reference that theyachieved the qualification during their prisontime.

5 ere is now a greater variety in the courses andeducational activities offered.

6 ere is an educational offer in each Flemishprison

e regional government of Flanders is in the processof developing a legislative basis to underpin thestrategic plan. e decree aims to provide a legal basisfor the coordination, planning and implementation ofassistance and services offered to prisoners. e decreewill be implemented during 2013.

Consortium Adult Education L4 is the official regionalnetwork of 12 centres of adult education and basiceducation in the Leuven region. e mission of the

Good Practice Model 2D: e Strategic Plan of Assistance and Services to Prisoners: Legislative/Policy landscape (L4 - Belgium)

Source: L4-Adult Education - Belgium

Keywords: Citizen; coherent; integrated; education; prison educational coordinator


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consortia is to optimise the range and scope of adulteducation in their region.

e Consortia have a clear objective with regard to theco-ordination of prison education:

• e optimisation and tuning of the education offerand the realisation of a need covering educationoffer in prison;

• e detection of education needs of prisoners;

• e development of a system of educationalguidance of prisoners.

To achieve these objectives, each consortium with oneor more prisons in their region, employs a prisoneducational coordinator who is a single point of contactfor everyone involved in prison education inter aliadirectors or staff of prisons, teachers and prisoners. eprison educational coordinators work in the prison(s)they are responsible for. is way, they know theteachers and help to make it so the prison officers donot see educators as a security threat.

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e intensive training for skilled workers(Facharbeiterintensivausbildung) in the Austrianprison of Vienna-Simmering has now been running formore than 30 years offers prisoners, male and over 18years old, the possibility to acquire a fully recognisedvocational training in eight different professions(painter, brick layer, metal technician, plumber,carpenter, baker, cook and waiter/restaurant specialist).e usual duration of an apprenticeship of 3 years isshortened to 1 year, which explains the title ‘intensive’.is kind of education is only possible for male adultprisoners over 18 years old.

In Austria the intensive training for skilled workers isoperated in a ‘dual system’, theoretical and practical. InVienna-Simmering Prison, the prisoners are workingin their workshops for four days a week and for one daythe prisoners are instructed by teachers coming fromoutside.Interested prisoners have to fulfil a list of criteriaincluding serving a sentence of less than three yearsApplications come from prisons throughout Austriaand the head teacher makes the selections; thoseselected are transferred to Vienna-Simmering Prison.Any infringement of prison rules, the prisoner loses hisplace and it is offered to someone on the waiting list.

e practical training is carried out in differentprofessionally equipped workshops on the premises –

following the rules of the official training regulations.e training is supervised by prison staff licensed to doso by the Austrian competent institution. Externalteachers provide the theoretical part of the educationin classes held in the prison institution. e training ison an individual level very practical and application –oriented, for example the bakery provides baked goodsfor three other Austrian prisons, the kitchen providescatering for receptions held in the institution, and alsofor public events.

In addition to the actual training, the pedagogicalservice offers counselling on matters of individualcompetence analysis and individual career planning.Together with other specialists, social workers andpsychologists, who work together in multidisciplinaryteams, issues like anxiety about tests, lack of motivationor negative experiences from the previous learninghistory can be addressed in group counselling sessions.Moreover, the prisoners are supported by the socialservices that support them in social, familial andfinancial matters. Psychologists are available for moreintensive counselling or for interventions in crisissituations.

e final examination is taken outside the prison at theofficial competent institution, Chamber of Cras orChamber of Commerce, depending on the qualificationin question. e prisoners have to pay their

Principle 3: Continuum of Education and LearningGood Practice Models

Good Practice Model 3A: Facharbeiterintensivausbildung/ Intensive training for skilled workers(Vollzugsdirektion - Austria)

Source: Vollzugsdirektion, Department of Care and Services – Austria

Keywords: Education plan; multi-disciplinary teams; on-going motivational activity; individuality; selectioncriteria; choice of education offers; dual system; intensive

Principle 3: Continuum of Education and Learning

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examination fees themselves and are subject to thesame conditions as every other candidate. It lasts twodays and consists of three parts: a theoretical part (awritten test and an oral exam in front of a testcommission) and a practical part in which specific tasksrelated to the specific profession have to be carried out.At the end, the certificate does not indicate that thequalification was gained inside a prison.

Since the adoption of the intensive training for skilledworkers, more than 1,000 prisoners passed the finalapprenticeship examination. About 70 prisoners peryear take up the intensive training; on average 40participants per year complete the measure and acquirethe associated qualification. Also, in 2006 an evaluationwas carried out for the 1998-2006 period whichrevealed that around one third of the released prisonerswho passed this kind of vocational training had foundan appropriate job in the profession acquired. A newevaluation is planned.

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Good Practice Model 3B: Focus on the transition management and the monitoring aer release. Prison ofZweibrücken in cooperation with the Vocational Training Centre Zweibrücken

Source: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Centre for Continuing Education – Germany

Keywords: Qualification; empowerment; Individual Educational Plans including the time aer release;placement into employment; networking; solid and sustainable co-operation; a solid system of personal andcareer guidance by all actors and institutions from inside to outside; transparency; comprehensive staff training;personal time of all actors

Principle 3: Continuum of Education and Training

Professional training and education along with supportwith health issues are necessary to facilitate successfulreintegration into society. Between 1998 and 2009,several projects, both at national and European level,were undertaken with this in mind. ese projectsworked in cooperation with the employment office, theMinistry of justice, the European Social Fund and othernational and regional institutions. ese were led byZweibrücken Prison, in cooperation with theVocational Training Center Zweibrücken (a part of the‘bfw – institution for job promotion’) and in 2009 theresult was the implementation a programme,‘Transition Management’ as a regular service andsupport for the prisoners. e ‘Transition Management’project was implemented in the six months coming upto release.

Qualifications for and placement in employment alongwith aercare are key elements of the ‘TransitionManagement’. To this end the necessary working stepsare networking; task and coordination; training;cooperation with external partners; solid workpossibilities and comprehensive training for the staffinvolved.

Networking entails the regular involvement of theentire prison staff and the cooperation of differentregional institutions, social services, businesses, schools

and so forth. All related information pertaining to theprisoner’s upcoming release to be available to staff andprisoners; support and advice about bureaucratic issues,housing, social security, facing the prisoner aer releaseare part of the task and coordination step.

Education, training and career guidance foremployment, both before and aer release involves allactors; prisoners, prison staff, counsellors, socialworkers, external partners, institutions, vocationalproviders; and this system of networking by “Transitionmanagement” involving all external partners mustremain in place for ex-offenders for minimum of sixmonths aer release to reach a stable situation outside,because “nearly 44% of all recurrences and 41% of allnew arrests that were registered during a control periodof four years aer release from prison, are allotted tothe first half year of aer release from prison. (Wirth,2007: 13).

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e objective of this doctoral work was to access adultmale prisoner learners’ experiences of prison educationin a 21st century Irish prison setting with the purposeof analysing the role prison education plays both withinindividual lives and within the total institution of theprison.

A life history methodological approach was adoptedand the life histories of 18 adult male prisoners, whowere attending prison school within three Irish prisons,were collated.

A life history approach assisted in prioritising thesubjective voice of those incarcerated as prisonerlearners were able to reveal their educational and lifestory and give meaning to their experiences. As amethodology, the life history has traditionally beenused in research with groups who have beenmarginalised and treated as “other” in society (cf.Goodson, 2001 for overview of the use of life historymethodology in sociological research). roughaccessing prisoner learners’ experiences of prisoneducation within the total institution of a prison, usinga life history approach, rich data is generated andconsideration is given to the impact of the institutionon the individual as well as their earlier life andeducational contexts. Furthermore as the term “life-long” is, in education, increasingly used at policy level(Alheit & Dausien, 2007) it was judged particularlyappropriate to adopt a research method thatincorporated the life cycle.

By placing the voice of the prisoner learner at thecentre of this research it becomes possible to analysethe role that attending the prison school plays withinthe total institution of the prison and within the livesof prisoner learners. e use of a life historymethodological approach, with a particular focus oneducational lives, means that the provision of a prisonerlearners’ perspective on prison education will haveimplications for both education in general and also howprison education is and could be delivered within thetotal institutional setting of the prison.

Data generated from the life history interviewsrevealed prisoner learners to be knowledgeable agentswho were able to discuss, reflect and critique theirprevious educational and life experiences as well asoffer their perspectives of both prison education andtheir decision to engage or re-engage with educationwithin the context of imprisonment. “Push” and “pull”factors in why prisoners engaged with education in theprison were identified from the data. Analysis of the 18life history interviews with prisoner learners, all ofwhom were attending classes within the prison school,highlights the diversity of their educational experiences.rough using a life history approach, it was alsopossible to develop a typology of prisoner learners’educational profile.

e literature reviewed had indicated that prisonerscome from backgrounds that are, in general,educationally disadvantaged and the data generated

Good Practice Model 4A: Prisoner Learners’ Perspectives of Prison Education Within the Total Institution ofthe Prison: A Life History Methodological Approach (EDC -Ireland)

Source: Educational Disadvantage Centre, St. Patrick’s College, Dublin City University – Ireland

Keywords: Life history; total institution; voice of the prisoner; research

Principle 4: Strengthening the Evidence Base

Principle 4: Strengthening the Evidence Base Good Practice Model

35


from the life history interviews, does support thatfinding. Within the prison school however prisonerlearners who had reported earlier adverse educationalexperiences and/or poor educational attainment alsoreported successfully completing modules andundertaking state exams within the context of theprison school.

e life history interviews found that prisoner learnerswere, in the main, very positive about the prison schoolwhich provided a space or “sanctuary” within theprison system where prisoner learners couldfiguratively “escape” from the total institution of theprison.

36


‘Jailbird’ is a label of products made by prisoners inGivenich, Luxembourg semi-open prison at theinitiative of défi-job, an association developingprograms of reintegration through training prisonersto develop social competences and professional skills.Défi-job co-operated with local designers whoconceived the product, chose the first materials, andpassed on their knowledge to the workshop trainer andthen to the participating prisoners. Each series of‘Jailbird’ objects are unique and bear the story of a lifeand the seal of a prison journey which was nearing itsend.

To showcase the project, défi-job organised a five dayexhibition in Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg Cityand a press conference was held attended by radio,press and television journalists, before the officialopening of the exhibition. is event, the first of thekind, was also attended by members of the governmentand people from all venues of society. e mainintention was to raise awareness of decision–makersand citizens to the fact that there are people livingbehind bars who, given the chance, are willing to learnand acquire competences to improve their chances ofsocial reintegration.

‘Jailbird’ certainly gave a more positive image of theprison world and showed an innovative way to support

prisoners in the process of developing manual skills andsocial competences. It also demonstrated that thecooperation between inside and outside worlds(designers, museum shops) is possible and helpful inmaking detention a useful time of supervised workduring which prisoners can recover self-esteem andlearn how to respect themselves and others.

In order to pursue the objective of raising awareness,défi-job persuaded museum directors in Luxembourgand across the border in Center Pompidou-Metz to sell‘Jailbird’ products in their shops. Each person whobought a ‘Jailbird’ object learned what the project wasabout through a small leaflet inserted inside each item.

is raising awareness project certainly helped défi-jobto enhance its credibility and image. Since then, newdoors opened to the association. Funding to supportdéfi-job’s activities increased and a higher number ofenterprises and city councils gave employment to theprisoners who participate in the job-seeking activitiesof défi-job.

Principle 5: Advocacy of Prison Education and LearningGood Practice Model

Good Practice Model 5A: “Jailbird”: Raising awareness through design. (DÉFI-JOB – Luxembourg)

Source: Défi-job – Luxembourg

Keywords: More positive image; supervised work; self-esteem; employment

Principle 5: Advocacy of Prison Education and Learning

37


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Hawley, J., Murphy, I & Souto-Otero, M (2012)Survey on prison education and training in Europe-Final report. Birmingham: GHK. Retrieved from theEuropean Commission website:http://ec.europa.eu/education/adult/doc/survey/survey_en.pdf

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Hawley, J. (2010). Pathways to Inclusion: StrengtheningEuropean cooperation in prison education and training.Final report. Birmingham: GHK. Retrieved from theEuropean Commission website: http://ec.europa.eu/education/grundtvig/doc/conf11/report_en.pdf

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Marshall, W. L., Anderson D., & Fernandez, Y. M.(1999). Cognitive behavioral treatment of sexualoffenders. Chichester, UK: Wiley.

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Maunsell, C. & Downes, P. (2013, forthcoming).Rising to the challenge of realising lifelong learningfor one and all: e role of community adulteducation in widening participation for traditionallymarginalised groups in Irish society. In E. Saar et al.(Eds), Lifelong Learning in Europe: National Patternsand Challenges. Edward Elgar.

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Glossary of Keywords in relation to the “Good LifeModel” GLM and the “Desistance Process” DPPrimary needs: Source: Marshall, W. L., Ward, T.,Mann, R., Mouldan, H., Fernandez, Y., Serran, G., &Marshall, L. (2005). Working Positively with sexoffenders: Maximizing the effectiveness of treatment.Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20, 1096-1114.

‘Human beings naturally seek primary goods, so calledbecause they are viewed as desirable or good ends inthemselves (cf. Deci & Ryan 2000, Emmons, 1996)ere are three classes of primary goods derived fromthe facts of the body, self, and social life and the basichuman needs associated with such facts (Kekes, 1989).e primary goods of the body include basicphysiological needs for sex, food, warmth, water, sleep,and the healthy functioning of the body as a whole. eprimary goods of the self are derived from the basicneeds of autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Eachof these needs is associated with a cluster of relatedprimary goods. For example, relatedness can be furtherbroken down into goods of intimacy, understanding,empathy, support, sexual pleasure, and sharing. eprimary goods of social life include social support,family life, meaningful work opportunities, and accessto recreational activities.

A conception of good lives should be based on thesethree classes of primary goods and should specify theforms they will take in each individual’s life plan. eterm good lives is preferred to the singular good life, asthere is no one ideal or preferred lifestyle for any givenindividual (Rasmussen, 1999, Marshall, 1989; Marshall,Anderson, &Fernandez, 1999)’ (2005: 1101)

Good Lives Plan (GLP): Source: Marshall et al. (2005)‘Once a conception of a good life has been determinedfor an individual offender, a general plan can then beadapted for him or her taking account of his or herspecific capabilities (i.e., his or her particular internaland external conditions). e specific form that a planwill take depends on the actual abilities, interests, andopportunities of each individual and the weightings he

or she gives to specific primary goods. e weightingsallocated to specific primary goods are constitutive ofan offender’s personal identity and spell out the kind oflife sought and, relatedly, the kind of person he or shewould like to be. However, because human beingsnaturally seek a range of primary goods, it is importantthat all the classes of primary goods are addressed in aconception of good lives; they should be ordered andcoherently related to each other…… e plan shouldbe organised in ways that ensures each primary goodcan be secured by the individual. A plan that isfragmented and lacks coherency is likely to lead tofrustration and harm to the individual concerned, aswell as to a life lacking an overall sense of purpose andmeaning’ (2005: 1101).

Instilling hope: Source: Marshall et al. (2005):‘Hope theory identifies three crucial components tosuccessful functioning: the establishment of goals (in thepresent context, this would be the definition of apersonalised “good life”), the development of pathwaysto achieve those goals (i.e., the establishment of theinternal and external conditions necessary to achievethis good life), and the person’s belief that he or she iscapable of achieving these goals. e latter is calledagentic thinking and is akin to Bandura’s (1977) notionof self-efficacy.

When a pathway to a goal is blocked for whateverreason, clients may feel frustrated or defeated. Hopefulindividuals, on the other hand, can overcome theseblocks because they typically recognise multiple routesto any given goal, and they believe they will succeed.Clients who are low in hope readily feel discouragedwhen an obstacle blocks their chosen pathway to a goal,and they simply give up. It is necessary, therefore, toenhance clients’ sense of hope in order for them tosucceed in achieving their goals and thereby benefitfrom treatment. A significant aspect of enhancing hopein dysfunctional clients is not only to provide them withthe skills (behavioral and cognitive), beliefs, attitudesand values appropriate to achieving their good life, butalso to help them identify the multiple potential

APPENDIX A

42


pathways to each of their goals so that obstacles will notseem so insurmountable’ (2005: 1103-1104).

Secondary needs: Source: Marshall et al. (2005):‘Offenders seek much the same goals as other people,but they choose inappropriate pathways to achievethese goals because they do not have the skills, attitudes,and self-confidence to achieve them by pro-socialpathways. Treatment, therefore, should provideoffenders with the attitudes and self-confidencenecessary for them to meet their needs in appropriateways’ (2005: 1097). e lack of skills in achieving primary goods doomsmany offenders into bad methods in their needgratification. We can see in that the roots of crimes andcriminogenic needs. If offenders learn better skills intheir need gratification, it changes their secondaryneeds from criminal into pro-social.

Criminogenic needs: Source: Marshall et al. (2005):‘Another aspect of the risk management model is thenotion of criminogenic needs’ (Andrews & Bonta,1998) (2005: 1099). ‘e criminogenic needs identifiedin the risk management model are associated with thedistortion of [these] conditions and can be viewed as

the product of internal or external obstacles thatprevent basic needs from being met in an optimal andpro-social manner (2005: 1100).Risks of reoffending are important to be recognised inthe assessment process at the beginning of the sentence.Aer that is also important to continue assessment intogoal direction and make plans of changing the lifecourse from a criminal to a pro-social one.

Table 1 summarises the contrasts between theconstructions of practice implied by the non-treatment,revised, ‘what works’ and desistance paradigms. Unlikethe earlier paradigms, the desistance paradigmforefronts processes of change rather than modes ofintervention. Practice under the desistance paradigmwould certainly accommodate intervention to meetneeds, reduce risks and (especially) to develop andexploit strengths, but whatever these forms might bethey would be subordinated to a more broadlyconceived role in working out, on an individual basis,how the desistance process might best be prompted andsupported. is would require the worker to act as anadvocate providing a conduit to social capital as well asa ‘treatment’ provider building human capital”.

The non-treatmentParadigm

Treatment becomeshelp

Diagnoses becomesshared assessment

Client’s dependentneed as the basisfor action becomescollaborativelydefined task as thebasis for action

The revisedparadigm

Help consistentwith a commitmentto the reduction ofharm

Explicit dialogueand negotiationofferingopportunities forconsensual change

Collaborativelydefined task relevant tocriminogenic needsand potentiallyeffective in meetingthem

A ‘what works’paradigm

Intervention required toreduce re-offending andprotect the public

‘Professional’ assessment ofrisk and need governedby structured assessmentinstruments

Compulsory engagement instructured programmes andcase managementprocesses as requiredelements of legal ordersimposed irrespective ofconsent

A desistanceParadigm

Help in navigating towardsdesistance to reduce harmand make good to offendersand victims

Explicit dialogue andnegotiation assessing risks,needs, strengths andresources and offeringopportunities to make good

Collaboratively defined taskswhich tackle risks, needsand obstacles to desistanceby using and developing theoffender’s human and socialcapital

Table 1. Probation practice in four paradigms

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Operationalising GLM: A Hypothetical Modele central tenet and guiding idea of the desistanceprocess (DP) sees the person at the centre. e processmay be categorised into six elements: 1. Specification of location in the ‘wheel’ of change:

According Di Clemente´s and Prochaska´s modelwe (i.e. prison/support staff and prisoner X)estimate the location of prisoner on his/her ‘wheel’of change. From their educational records etc. wecan see which education/ rehabilitation activitieshave already taken place. In the dialogue with Xthe results of these activities should be evaluatedand analysed.

2. Specification of dynamic of X´s change process:Has the DP stopped, and if so, why? What hashappened since the last act on the road out fromcrime? Why is X again in prison (naming of actualcriminogenic needs)? What could be the next stepon the road out from crime and on the road to abetter life in the future? What kind of new skillswould this demand from X and also from thesupporting sectors?

3. Analyzing the methods: What kind of skillsprisoner X possesses and what skills they mightneed/wish to develop and by which methods thesecan be achieved in the sectors of education,rehabilitation and work in order to support thecontinuum of her/his DP.

4. Planning the proceeding on DP: X and a memberof prison/support staff make a map for X´sjourney. On the map could be several alternativepaths and in this planning stage, risks as well asoptions should be clearly identified for each pathalternative. It is also very important to analyse theelements of social capital which can be used ineach path alternative.

5. Decision making : X makes her/his decisionconcerning which path alternative she/he willchoose and commits on her/his decision byspeaking about it with her/his family and/or othersignificant support relationships and evaluatingwith them what kind of support she/he could needand get from them for her/his journey.

6. Action phase: X ‘walks the talk’/putting their plansinto action and she/he has a written plan for this.e prison/support staff also know the plan she/heis trying to follow. In the event that X encountersan unanticipated situation or needs additionalconsultation, then a contingency plan, which bothX and supporting sector staff are aware of, is alsoin place.

Hypothetical Vignette: Prisoner X is at the centre ofher/his desisting process (DP) and all five sectors aresupporting systems around her/his DP. e ownershipof desistance belongs to each individual prisoner –she/he is sitting in the driver´s seat. e staff in eachphase has a role only in supporting activities, namely;what kind of rehabilitation, education, work is neededand organised in the prison setting. e roles andresponsibilities of prison administration are directedtowards ensuring that holistic outcomes are achievedand resources are sufficient and targeted appropriately. When the prisoner is in the middle of the process,she/he has a written plan outlining their personaldesistance process.

APPENDIX B

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e printing of this position paper was supported by Léargas and the Educational Disadvantage Centre, St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra.

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