With around 300 speakers and more than 150 presentations, our programme spans across six days, comprising plenary sessions and parallel workshops, correctional facility visits, awards ceremony, networking events and more.
See below to view the programme schedule and content. Click on the sessions to view descriptions, speakers and biographies.
ICPA 2023 Programme
Sunday 22 October
7pm – 9pm EDT
Welcome Reception
Monday 23 October
Considering the strong relationship between violence endured throughout life and criminal behavior, establishing a partnership between women's shelters and prisons to receive their expert support on a regular basis seems to be of crucial importance for any rehabilitation program concerning women. This collaboration has the potential to significantly reduce reoffending rates.Taking care of the inner suffering of offenders, especially for women offenders, is equally as important as providing education or vocational training to them.
M&Cs models of service delivery vary widely and there is a paucity of evidence regarding the necessary components and evaluation of successful M&Cs that also aligns with a human rights-based approach. The next generation of M&Cs must be evidence-based, include key components that can be implemented in correctional facilities, and be rigorously monitored and evaluated. The synthesis of the existing evidence-base provides an opportunity for correctional facilities to redesign M&C programs and incorporate a standardised model of service delivery that effectively meets the needs of incarcerated mothers and their children.
Alvis’ Family and Children’s Program is built upon three pillars:
1) Parenting education and individualized coaching for mothers,
2) Prevention and educational support services for children to reduce their risk of becoming involved in the justice system and/or having a substance use disorder,
3) Clinical counseling for children who need additional assistance addressing trauma and/or mental health disorders.
This presentation is in two parts. In the first part, we will introduce key findings and recommendations made in a study of perspectives on the use of isolation in Dutch prisons, commissioned and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Justice led by Dr Sharon Shalev of Oxford University in 2022. The study involved field research in 7 prisons, examining physical conditions and assessing their compatibility with international standards, and 69 interviews with 78 prison managers, officers, psychologists, oversight committee members, and incarcerated people, as well as analysis of statistical data. Some of the questions we asked included: What are the purposes of solitary confinement? Does it fulfil its purposes? Should all prisons have an isolation unit? Should isolation be ‘done’ differently? How long should it last? Findings were then used to inform a series of recommendations to the Ministry of Justice addressing aspects from the design and regime in isolation units, to issues of staffing, duration, and alternatives to isolation.
In the second part of the presentation, Dr Toon Molleman, who commissioned the study on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Justice, will discuss some of the ongoing challenges around prison isolation, and how findings and recommendations were translated into an action plan by the Ministry of Justice, demonstrating how academic research can inform and feed directly into correctional practice and how we can work together to ensure a more compassionate and humane approach to corrections.
9.30am – 10.30am EDT
Humanity and Dignity in Corrections (PID219)
Humanity and Dignity in Corrections (PID219)
Plenary Session
Given the theme of this year’s annual conference, “Humane Corrections: What more can we do”, this keynote speech by Penal Reform International’s Executive Director, Olivia Rope, will reflect on what humanity in criminal justice means in practice. Olivia will give an assessment of the state of the world’s prisons, drawing on the organisation’s annual flagship publication, Global Prison Trends, and lessons learnt from their 30+ years working with professionals and systems at all levels across 90 countries on penal reform.
The presentation will include an overview of what PRI sees as the most pressing, emerging challenges in delivering humane corrections and both the shared challenges and disparate capacities to overcome them between the most sophisticated, resourced systems and those operating in low resource, fragile or conflict-affected states.
Olivia’s keynote will explore what is involved in building systems where rehabilitation and social reintegration upon return to the community is meaningful and effective in transforming lives. She will share some insights and recommendations on how to create and sustain criminal justice systems, including prisons, that are truly humane, with human rights front and centre.
Speakers
Olivia Rope
11am – 11.30am EDT
Women in Prison and Previous Victimization: The Need for a Partnership with Women's Shelters (PID165)
Women in Prison and Previous Victimization: The Need for a Partnership with Women's Shelters (PID165)
Workshop Session
According to the Bangkok Rules, "Women who are admitted to prison are more likely than men to suffer from mental health problems, often as a result of domestic violence, physical, and sexual abuse. High levels of domestic violence and physical and sexual abuse against women prior to their imprisonment have been documented in countries worldwide" (Rule 12).
Considering the strong relationship between violence endured throughout life and criminal behavior, establishing a partnership between women's shelters and prisons to receive their expert support on a regular basis seems to be of crucial importance for any rehabilitation program concerning women. This collaboration has the potential to significantly reduce reoffending rates.Taking care of the inner suffering of offenders, especially for women offenders, is equally as important as providing education or vocational training to them.
Speakers
With Good Reason: A Study of the Alignment of Prison Conditions in Bolivia and Honduras with the Nelson Mandela Rules (PID151)
With Good Reason: A Study of the Alignment of Prison Conditions in Bolivia and Honduras with the Nelson Mandela Rules (PID151)
Workshop Session
A study conducted in 2022 evaluated the physical conditions of imprisonment in two developing countries Bolivia and Honduras, and its alignment with the Nelson Mandela Rules, to offer cost-efficient and effective alternatives to lessen the harm and adverse effects caused by the nation's prison systems.
Funded by the European Union and conducted by the Italian NGO Progettomondo, this study used a case study approach to provide an independent and objective diagnostic evaluation of the prison conditions and a set of policy and technical advice. A team of professionals were set up in each country to collect the data. Seven facilities were selected in Bolivia and eight in Honduras, which were evaluated against the national and international standards and the Nelson Mandela Rules. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected in-situ between January and April 2022.
A high level of divergence between the Nelson Mandela Rules and the conditions of imprisonment was found in both countries. Several recommendations were made and handed to each government. The funding of the research and the difficulties faced during the data collection in both countries suggest the existence of structural problems that are preventing substantial improvements in the understanding of human rights in prison and the provision of humane conditions of imprisonment. Moreover, the homogeneous socio-economic conditions of several developing countries, and the similarities in the problems they face, point out the need for international cooperation from the developed world, as a crucial and unavoidable condition to achieve the goal of providing humane prison environments.
Speakers
Dr Alberto Urrutia-Moldes
11am – 11.45am EDT
Prison Family Unit - A Therapeutical Environment for Babies and Parents (PID034)
Ghana Prisons Surgical Project - A Tool For Creating Humane Corrections - Medium Security Prisons, Nsawam As A Case Study (PID213)
Ghana Prisons Surgical Project - A Tool For Creating Humane Corrections - Medium Security Prisons, Nsawam As A Case Study (PID213)
Workshop Session
Admissions with elective surgical cases diagnoses were common and comparable to previously published rates of disease in the general population, but low rates of surgical wound infection and re-occurrence rate. it is an ethical obligation to better understand opportunities for improvement in access to care, provide equivalent operations and postoperative attention, as well as strive for robust data collection to prove equivalent excellent outcomes in the incarcerated population.Speakers
Dr Lawrence Kofi Acheampong
Isaac Kofi Egyiri
Gloria Essandor
11am – 12.30pm EDT
Practice Transfer Taskforce and Case Study: Can the Global Game Help Solve the Global Problem of Recidivism? (PID222)
Practice Transfer Taskforce and Case Study: Can the Global Game Help Solve the Global Problem of Recidivism? (PID222)
Workshop Session
ICPA has an expressed ambition to influence correctional practice worldwide. One of its key objectives is “To maintain ICPA as an innovative, learning organization, promoting and disseminating good practices”. However, despite all of ICPA’s efforts, for example in holding Conferences and publishing a practitioner-oriented Journal, we know that the transfer of knowledge doesn’t always or easily translate into the actual transfer of new practice. There are many examples of exemplary and innovative practice that emerge locally in one prison or community corrections jurisdiction that unfortunately remain only local in their impact.
This Workshop will outline the aims of ICPA’s new Practice Transfer Taskforce (PTTF), describe the approach that has been taken so far to more actively encourage practice transfer, and discuss some of the successes and lessons learned along the way. As a concrete example of considerable success in transferring good practice, the UK originated Twinning Project will be discussed as a transformative approach to reducing reoffending by educating the incarcerated via the medium of football. The Twinning Project team will explain how despite only launching in Autumn 2018, 74 prisons in the UK have already been “Twinned“ with their nearest professional football club so that Coaches can deliver FA accredited coaching qualifications to the incarcerated. Several Universities are now examining the impact of “Twinning” and noting significant change in identity and a kind of ‘fusion’ with the pro-social values of football (e.g. teamwork, discipline, self-control, etc.). The ICPA PTTF has helped create positive interest in adopting the programme internationally and the project has recently also launched in the US on Rikers Island in NYC, the Century Women’s Detention Facility in LA, and soon to be launched in Florida, Australia and South Africa.
The Workshop will end with a brief summary of our plans for this coming year to promote several projects dealing with ‘fatherhood’ from behind prison walls. We want to remain flexible in the process for selecting and then promoting innovative practices. Most importantly, we want to invite the entire ICPA community of corrections professionals to share their ideas and suggestions for how to make this initiative another ICPA achievement.
Speakers
Frank Porporino Ph.D.
Bob Goble
Jason Swettenham
David Dein
Hilton Freund
Enhancing the Resilience of Prison Management During Times of War (PID224)
11.30am – 12pm EDT
The Next Generation of Mothers and Children’s Programs - An Evidence-based Approach (PID139)
The Next Generation of Mothers and Children’s Programs - An Evidence-based Approach (PID139)
Workshop Session
Incarcerated mothers are a marginalised group who experience substantial health and social issues and routinely face disruption of family relationships, including loss of custody of their child/ren. This, in turn, places the children’s social, educational, and emotional development at risk. Mothers and children’s (M&Cs) programs offer an opportunity for mothers to reside with their children in a prison setting to address this disadvantage. Such programs have the capacity to offer a suite of support to mothers, for example, parenting classes and strengthening the mother/child bond. The Bangkok Rules outline the need for equivalence of care for children residing with their mothers in prison and that all decisions must be in the best interest of the child.
M&Cs models of service delivery vary widely and there is a paucity of evidence regarding the necessary components and evaluation of successful M&Cs that also aligns with a human rights-based approach. The next generation of M&Cs must be evidence-based, include key components that can be implemented in correctional facilities, and be rigorously monitored and evaluated. The synthesis of the existing evidence-base provides an opportunity for correctional facilities to redesign M&C programs and incorporate a standardised model of service delivery that effectively meets the needs of incarcerated mothers and their children.
Speakers
Dr Jo Taylor
Professor Elizabeth Sullivan
Dr Tazeen Majeed
‘Not Just Another New Prison Building’: A New Prison Delivering a Psychologically Informed Operating Model (PID058)
‘Not Just Another New Prison Building’: A New Prison Delivering a Psychologically Informed Operating Model (PID058)
Workshop Session
The underpinning principles of Home, Health and Homeliness promotes communal responsibility and identifies individual needs, creating individualised resettlement programs where families are supported and self agency encouraged. Prisoner engagement is achieved by our compact with prisoners to take ownership through our 'no decisions about me without me' procedures. Resettlement Services provided by a diverse mix of community organisations (including those with 'lived experience') as a central part of the multi-disciplinary teams. Extensive use of Release on Temporary Licence supports education, work and employment provision for those who meet the criteria. Education links directly with employers criterion and employers provide training workshops within the prison. Staff skills and training developed to create competence and confidence with new environment and requirements. An 'offence neutral' regime is operated where sex offenders are able to achieve their resettlement goals alongside others. A Non-Executive Board of external experts (including those with 'lived experience') provides additional scrutiny and oversight to the Director on a regular basis.Speakers
Wyn Jones
Rachele Murphy
11.45am – 12.30pm EDT
Advancing Humane Treatment: Determining Baseline Prevalence of TB and Associated Conditions in Mozambiques Prisons (PID180)
Advancing Humane Treatment: Determining Baseline Prevalence of TB and Associated Conditions in Mozambiques Prisons (PID180)
Workshop Session
Mozambique’s high burden of tuberculosis (TB) impacts delivering healthcare in its prisons. Our project uses an integrated care model to strengthen the process by which incarcerated people with TB are identified, treated, and linked to care. Program planning depends on an accurate understanding of baseline conditions, and this has informed our prison to community program design. As a result of our health blitz of 6000 individuals in the first three months of operation, we anticipate prison prevalence of TB and associated co-morbidities are higher than currently documented. We anticipate that healthcare activities, including peer mentoring and disease prevention strategies (e.g. consideration of PREP/condoms etc.) will be introduced as a result of the program interventions, that access to services will increase, and that staff and detainee stigma will reduce. Please come and join us to understand what we did, and to make suggestions for next steps!Speakers
Ivan Calder
Dr Cremilde Anli
12pm – 12.30pm EDT
Alvis Family & Children's Program, a Community Re-entry Program that Serves Justice Involved Mothers and their Children (PID091)
Alvis Family & Children's Program, a Community Re-entry Program that Serves Justice Involved Mothers and their Children (PID091)
Workshop Session
Workshop participants will learn about family-focused education and treatment services for mothers with justice involvement and for their children.This program is the result addressing the unmet needs of vulnerable families with a parent in the justice system. Women are the fastest growing segment of the US justice-involved population. About 70% of all women in the justice system have children under 18. It is a common misconception that mothers do not care about their children. These women desperately want to be better mothers but often have absolutely no idea how, as their own mothers likely had substance use and mental health disorders, as well as justice involvement. A child always experiences the loss of a parent as a traumatic event, regardless of the cause, yet shame and stigma prevents many of these children from accessing treatment services. This program strengthens families which makes mothers less likely to recidivate and promotes desistence in their children.
Alvis’ Family and Children’s Program is built upon three pillars:
1) Parenting education and individualized coaching for mothers,
2) Prevention and educational support services for children to reduce their risk of becoming involved in the justice system and/or having a substance use disorder,
3) Clinical counseling for children who need additional assistance addressing trauma and/or mental health disorders.
Speakers
Linda Janes
1.30pm – 2.15pm EDT
The Council of Europe: How to Make the Imprisonment Effective and Humane at the Same Time? (PID062)
The Council of Europe: How to Make the Imprisonment Effective and Humane at the Same Time? (PID062)
Plenary Session
The Council of Europe, the oldest European intergovernmental Organisation (1949), well known also for its European Court of Human Rights, has developed an abundant body set of standards and of case-law on the protection of the right to life, prevention of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment and other issues impacting the treatment and conditions of detention of persons deprived of their liberty.
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, operating since 1989, carries out visits to all types of places of detention to assess the conditions and treatment of persons deprived of their liberty.
The European Committee on Crime Problems elaborates the standards in the criminal justice area, was set up in 1958, and its subordinate body, the Council for Penological Co-operation, set up in 1980 specifically deals with issues related to prisons, probation and juvenile justice. The first European Prison Rules were elaborated in 1973. Since then, the EPR have been revised four times, most recently in 2020.
The joint intervention by three Council of Europe officials working respectively in the judicial, monitoring and standard setting branches of the Organisation will seek to explain the way in which the various organs of the Council of Europe interact together in order to ensure a professional human rights-based approach to imprisonment across Europe and how to keep the balance between, on the one hand, punishment, retribution and protection of the society, and, on the other hand, the need to assist persons reintegrate society desist from further offending.
Speakers
Kresimir Kamber
2.15pm – 3pm EDT
Iso: Perspectives on Solitary Confinement Practices in the Netherlands (PID209)
Iso: Perspectives on Solitary Confinement Practices in the Netherlands (PID209)
Plenary Session
Prison isolation (solitary confinement) is commonly used in prisons across the world, typically as punishment for breaking prison rules and to prevent people from self-harming. Whilst there is a fair amount of literature on the harms of solitary confinement, little is known about how prison staff view the practice and if and how they would like to see its use change.
This presentation is in two parts. In the first part, we will introduce key findings and recommendations made in a study of perspectives on the use of isolation in Dutch prisons, commissioned and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Justice led by Dr Sharon Shalev of Oxford University in 2022. The study involved field research in 7 prisons, examining physical conditions and assessing their compatibility with international standards, and 69 interviews with 78 prison managers, officers, psychologists, oversight committee members, and incarcerated people, as well as analysis of statistical data. Some of the questions we asked included: What are the purposes of solitary confinement? Does it fulfil its purposes? Should all prisons have an isolation unit? Should isolation be ‘done’ differently? How long should it last? Findings were then used to inform a series of recommendations to the Ministry of Justice addressing aspects from the design and regime in isolation units, to issues of staffing, duration, and alternatives to isolation.
In the second part of the presentation, Dr Toon Molleman, who commissioned the study on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Justice, will discuss some of the ongoing challenges around prison isolation, and how findings and recommendations were translated into an action plan by the Ministry of Justice, demonstrating how academic research can inform and feed directly into correctional practice and how we can work together to ensure a more compassionate and humane approach to corrections.
Speakers
Dr Sharon Shalev
Toon Molleman
3.30pm – 4pm EDT
Bringing Human Rights to Correctional Policy and Practice in Kenya (PID006)
Bringing Human Rights to Correctional Policy and Practice in Kenya (PID006)
Workshop Session
In 2023, the Kenyan State Department of Correctional Services, with support from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, launched a progressive new National Correctional Services Policy which enshrines key aspects of the Nelson Mandela Rules, Bangkok Rules and Tokyo Rules.
In this presentation, the Principal Secretary for Correctional Services will explain how Kenya has chosen to approach corrections from the perspective of human rights and community safety rather than punishment, highlight some of the elements that make the Policy a paradigm shift in Kenyan corrections, and outline some of the challenges that lie ahead.
The presentation will also feature a major new project designed to pilot implementation of the Policy through cooperation between the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, Kenya Prisons Service, Kenya Probation & Aftercare Service and other justice sector agencies in Naivasha, Kenya, and discuss some of the lessons learned from past projects that will hopefully contribute to success.
Speakers
Josh Ounsted
Salome Wairimu Muhia-Beacco
High Risk Offenders in the Dutch Prison System (PID208)
High Risk Offenders in the Dutch Prison System (PID208)
Workshop Session
In the last years, the Netherlands has seen a rise in organised crime and consequently, the population of high risk offenders in the Dutch prison system has increased. However, the threat these offenders pose for the safety and security of society does not end with their incarceration.
This presentation delves deeper into the ways that the Dutch prison system is dealing with this category of prisoners; both in policy and in practice. The purpose of this presentation is to highlight the challenges as well as share lessons the Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency has learned over the last years.
Speakers
Boye Veldhoen
Toon Molleman
A Collaborative Approach to Success: Family, Community and Employer Engagement (PID130)
A Collaborative Approach to Success: Family, Community and Employer Engagement (PID130)
Workshop Session
Leveraging the value of collaboration between stakeholders in correctional education leads to improved communication, increased innovation, efficient processes and greater accomplishments. Learn how the State of Texas in the United States of America has taken a bipartisan, cooperative approach to success by sharing and applying innovative practices in areas that support institutional security, student and community-based outcomes. The presentation will detail the value and application of humanistic language, opportunities for students who are incarcerated to engage with the community and employers pre-reentry and partnerships with public schools for incarcerated parents to connect with their children through virtual book reading activities and parent-teacher conferences.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will learn how to implement and enhance programs that support community engagement and employment of persons who are formerly incarcerated.
- Participants will learn about various types of secure technology, to include internet-based, that lead to increased program opportunities and participation.
- Participants will learn how to develop and implement family engagement programs that include external stakeholders.
- Participants will learn how to implement and enhance programs that support community engagement and employment of persons who are formerly incarcerated.
- Participants will learn about various types of secure technology, to include internet-based, that lead to increased program opportunities and participation.
- Participants will learn how to develop and implement family engagement programs that include external stakeholders.
Speakers
3.30pm – 4.30pm EDT
East-West and In Between (PID184)
East-West and In Between (PID184)
Workshop Session
The concept of normalisation in the built environment is emerging as a means to support the focus on treatment and rehabilitation. Many architects and planners are demonstrating the use of a normalised environments in very different ways that reflect the local culture and norms. This discussion will use new correctional facilities in three significantly different locations in Canada to define the similarities and differences based on local culture.Speakers
Segregation Reform: Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? (PID131)
Segregation Reform: Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? (PID131)
Workshop Session
This panel explores barriers to and enablers of reforming the use of segregation, with a focus on staff perceptions of their environment, their safety and wellbeing, and their leadership. The opening presentation will describe some of the issues driving calls for reform and will discuss selected aspects of correctional culture, operations, and leadership. These comments will be informed by work undertaken in several Canadian jurisdictions. The following two presentations will report on staff and prisoner reactions to specific change initiatives: one in Canada and one in the USA. All three presentations will conclude with thoughts about how to implement and sustain meaningful change.Speakers
Howard Sapers
Prof. Rosemary Ricciardelli
Dr. Danielle Rudes
San Diego, California - Juvenile Justice Continuum of Care from Community Interventions to State of the Art Detention Facility (PID081)
San Diego, California - Juvenile Justice Continuum of Care from Community Interventions to State of the Art Detention Facility (PID081)
Workshop Session
Juvenile justice and community partners in San Diego analyzed data and identified the over-reliance of detention for at-risk youth committing misdemeanors, low-level felonies, and technical violations who do not pose a threat to themselves or others. These findings resulted in the development and implementation of a continuum of community interventions that serve as alternatives to detention, supporting youth in their communities. San Diego has built a robust array of community services that support youth at the first signs of at-risk behavior. From Community Assessment Teams to law enforcement diversion to Alternatives to Detention to the Choice Program and Achievement Centers. Each program serves a specific youth population and provides a different array of services and support based on the youth’s escalating at-risk behavior.
San Diego’s continuum of community interventions have proven to minimize the harmful consequences of detention, prevent youth from deeper system involvement, and ensure youth receive the programs and services they need while remaining home and connected to their family and community. These innovative programs help youth maintain family and community linkages that are critical to their success and improve public safety outcomes for these youth. The programs optimize detention alternatives to reduce the rates of juvenile delinquency, increase positive youth development and family engagement, and improve the juvenile justice system’s efficacy in serving youth. The vital programs and services youth receive secure long-term sustainable support that deliver humane outcomes by keeping youth close to home and out of juvenile justice detention facilities.
If community Interventions are not successful and/or a youth commits a high-level felony crime, youth in San Diego can be committed to the Youth Transition Campus, a unique and groundbreaking detention facility in the field of juvenile justice. The team that developed and designed the campus spent countless years researching and observing national best practices in juvenile justice facility design, supportive and clear policies, and quality programming. The goal was to create a secure facility that promotes humane treatment and positive outcomes, welcomes family engagement, and ensures the human rights and dignity of youth.
One of the key features of the Youth Transition Campus is its trauma-informed design. Every aspect of the facility is designed to minimize the risk of re-traumatization for youth who have already experienced significant trauma in their lives. The open setting environment, absence of linear hallways, and the abundance of windows and natural light all work together to create an environment that feels safe and supportive. Additionally, the campus has clear policies and programming in place that adhere to national best practices and ensure that youth are treated fairly and receive the educational, medical, and rehabilitative services they need.
The Youth Transition Campus is designed to house youth ages 12-20. The campus has 96 individual sleeping rooms, which are spaced within 8 cottages to create a sense of community and belonging. The campus also includes a standalone visitation center, a school and career technical education center, a separate cafeteria where youth are provided with meal options, and a full medical clinic that includes space and equipment for optometry and dental care. The campus also features a youth weight room, a full gymnasium, and outdoor recreation areas to encourage physical activity and improve mental health.
Another unique aspect of the Youth Transition Campus is its focus on staff well-being. The facility features separate staff dining and a state-of-the-art weight room for staff, ensuring that they can maintain their physical and mental health while working with incarcerated youth. Improved staff wellness has a profound impact on improving facility culture, reducing incidents of violence, and, most importantly, improving the long-term outcomes for youth entrusted to our care.
The Youth Transition Campus is a model juvenile justice facility not only in design and process, but also in its implementation, including staff training, purposeful education, trauma-informed and supportive assistance, and best practice programming. By providing a supportive and humane environment and ensuring that youth receive the education, medical, and rehabilitative services they need, the Youth Transition Campus is working to break the cycle of incarceration and create a brighter future for the youth in its care.
Speakers
Transforming Incarceration: The Impact of Technology on Daily Life Behind Bars (PID900)
Transforming Incarceration: The Impact of Technology on Daily Life Behind Bars (PID900)
Major Sponsor Presentation
In this presentation, Jerry Brinegar, the CIO of the New Mexico Corrections Department and former President of the Correctional Technology Association, Shane Epperly, Learning & Development Coordinator for the New Mexico Corrections Department, and Christopher Ditto, the Vice President of Research & Development at ViaPath, will delve into how digital devices and communications shape the day-to-day lives of incarcerated individuals. Through a robust presentation of data and insights gathered from extensive prisoner interviews, they will explore the impact of these digital tools on various aspects of prison life, including overcoming the challenges of culture, distance, language, parenting, self-esteem, and mental health.Speakers
4pm – 4.30pm EDT
Malaysia Prison Reform Towards the "Civilized Humane Culture Development Center" (CHCDC) (PID051)
Malaysia Prison Reform Towards the "Civilized Humane Culture Development Center" (CHCDC) (PID051)
Workshop Session
The establishment of the Civilized Humane Culture Development Center (CHCDC) is not meant to be the new prison, but instead it involves efforts to improve the existing prison environment to a more humane rehabilitation environment. It requires a large-scale paradigm shift involving various holistic efforts and mechanisms that need to be done systematically. Malaysia Prison Department always believed and have faith that we have been given a great task in order to make the inmates succeed in life after their release and never re offend. Let our correctional system be a part in establishing a civilized and humane culture development center. Having such conference like ICPA is also a good way of sharing and bringing us closer together in our endeavors to implement programs and to upgrade our correctional system.Speakers
Dato Haji Nordin bin Muhamad MD.
Pretrial Detention Needs Rethink (PID103)
Pretrial Detention Needs Rethink (PID103)
Workshop Session
The longer the time spent in prison without trial, the more the chance of a fair trial fades; evidence goes stale, witnesses move or disappear, and the pressure on people to plead guilty increases as people wish to put an end to the uncertainty over their future. While legal and paralegal assistance is a key part of the answer, there are other remedies also. For example, there may be scope for diverting certain kinds of cases out of the criminal justice system altogether, so that they are dealt with through restorative processes.Speakers
Dr Humphrey Young
Uplifting Offenders Through Skills Training and Employability Programmes (PID143)
Uplifting Offenders Through Skills Training and Employability Programmes (PID143)
Workshop Session
This sharing covers Singapore Prison Service (SPS)’s and Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG)’s collaborative efforts in providing skills training and education for inmates, with the aim to enhance ex-offenders’ employability potential, promote lifelong learning, skills deepening, and long-term career development. These initiatives include upskilling offenders in digital skills, expanding academic pathways and training academies in prison, as well as allowing offenders to take up employability enhancing programmes while on community-based programmes.Speakers
Leslie Jin
4.30pm – 5pm EDT
A Scottish Case Study Using Mandela Rules to Enshrine Human Rights, Mental & Behavioural Wellbeing and Rehabilitation (PID044)
A Scottish Case Study Using Mandela Rules to Enshrine Human Rights, Mental & Behavioural Wellbeing and Rehabilitation (PID044)
Workshop Session
HMP Barlinnie is the largest prison in Scotland, first opened in 1882 and housed the most infamous criminals of the time. Despite various attempts to refurbish the prison, its decaying state took the Scottish Government to announce in 2018 its closure. For the new prison project, the Scottish Prison Service relied on the Mandela rules and a research-based practice to design a human centred facility, radically changing the way corrections are done in Scotland. HMP Glasgow is the new prison in Scotland that is paving the way to show what more can we do to achieve more humane corrections. This is the Scottish Prison Service story of challenges, setbacks, budget constraints, divergent interpretations, and perspectives from all involved in the making of this ambitious, humane and human-centred correctional project.Speakers
Learning Lessons from the UK's Recent Experience of Populist Criminal Justice Policies (PID065)
Learning Lessons from the UK's Recent Experience of Populist Criminal Justice Policies (PID065)
Workshop Session
An examination the lessons that can be learnt from the UK's experience of politicians pursuing populist policies on crime and justice at a time when Government funding for law and order has been reducing. The session will draw on the data showing sharply rising self harm and levels of prison violence. The aim is to draw out lessons from this UK experience to help other jurisdictions. It will include an analysis of the impact of reducing the real value of wages for prison and probation staff for staff churn and staff morale. In particular, it will examine the effect of the loss of many of the most experienced front line staff on control and order in prisons. Based on the detailed analysis of what has happened in the UK over the last ten years, the session will look at the ways in which prison managers, penal pressure groups, independent inspectorates and others who work in prison can influence political decision making to ensure the return to safe and effective working of both Prison and Probation Services.
Speakers
Phil Wheatley
3P: Placement, Productivity and Pay for Foreign Inmates In Reintegration Center (IRC), Malaysia Prison Department (PID023)
3P: Placement, Productivity and Pay for Foreign Inmates In Reintegration Center (IRC), Malaysia Prison Department (PID023)
Workshop Session
Placement, Productivity and Pay Program (3P) for foreign Inmates were mooted in Malaysia Prison Departments. Foreign inmates form about 18% from the total number of prison population which is about 75000 inmates. Inmates in Malaysia Prison are provided with various types of rehabilitation program, however the foreign inmates are having a little bit of disadvantage, they could not participate in programs such as certified skill training, internship and work programs due to language barrier and the immigration law and regulation. In order to be fair to the foreign inmate and provide them the best, prison department introduced 3P Program to ensure the foreign inmates are not left out and enjoy the same benefits and treatment as the local inmates.
The 3P concept:
i. Placement: Create facility outside the main prison known as Inmates Reintegration Centers (IRC) to accommodate foreign inmates and at the same time provide amenities and facilities to the private sector to set up their industries to provide work for the inmates. This facility acts as a resettlement phase for the inmates to reintegrate into the community.
ii. Productivity: While the inmates are placed in IRC they will be engaged in productive activities which will enable them to be occupied, acquire skills and knowledge which can be useful upon their release. The will be exposed to the current industries and job market.
iii. Pay: As the inmates gain knowledge, skill and experience during their stay in IRC they will be paid national minimum wage for engaging in jobs provided by the private sector.
Speakers
Hafidz Othman
Paradigm Shift: A Model for Eliminating Restrictive Housing in the United States (PID057)
Paradigm Shift: A Model for Eliminating Restrictive Housing in the United States (PID057)
Workshop Session
Prisons in the United States have long relied on Restrictive Housing, known as solitary confinement in other nations, to manage threats and punish misconduct. As evidence grows regarding the impact of restrictive housing on the health and behavior of those placed in such conditions, many in the United States seek ways to limit its use.
Recognizing the need for change, the Massachusetts Department of Correction (MADOC) retained industry experts to complete a system review, leading to recommendations which included the elimination of restrictive housing by any definition. In the two years since receiving the study, MADOC successfully eliminated the use of restrictive housing through the implementation of Behavior Assessment Units (BAUs) and Secure Adjustment Units (SAUs). BAUs are an opportunity to assess individual risk and need; while the SAUs provide access to evidence-based treatment, education, programs, recreation, and healthcare services to address the underlying causes of the behavior. Incarcerated individuals are assigned to specific program tracks, including substance use, antisocial cognition, impulsivity, and negative peer influences.
This MADOC team presents a model for applying principles of risk-needs-responsivity to address misconduct. The first of its kind, the program eliminates the use of any restrictive housing, replacing it with assessment, classification, and evidence-based programming matched to the individual. The team will describe the program and its impact on culture, including discussion of the development and implementation of structured program interventions, training and support, and early outcome data.
Speakers
Kyle Pelletier
"I even forgot I was in prison" REEDU’s Inclusive Education Methodology for Juvenile Detention: Theory and Practice (PID176)
A Modified Delphi Exercise to Develop Best Practice Principles for Programs and Services for People Exiting Custody (PID169)
A Modified Delphi Exercise to Develop Best Practice Principles for Programs and Services for People Exiting Custody (PID169)
Workshop Session
There is no international standardised nomenclature or agreement on best-practice principles relating to programs for people exiting prison. This impacts the ability of program providers to access funding and resourcing. This modified Delphi study aimed to achieve expert consensus about nomenclature and best-practice principles for programs for people in prison transitioning into the community.
A Delphi process involving online surveys and meetings was conducted to develop consensus among a heterogeneous group of individuals with experience, knowledge, or expertise in the field. Potential best-practice statements on programs for people exiting custody were developed from an in-depth literature review. These statements related to 6 domains: “definition and nomenclature”, “aims and intended outcomes”, “components and attributes”, “timing”, “responsibility”, “monitoring and evaluation”. Survey respondents indicated their level of agreement with these statements via Likert scales. “Consensus” was defined as 80% of respondents agreeing with a statement. Online meetings were employed to clarify statements that did not reach consensus. The final list of nomenclature and best-practice statements generated through this process were distributed to respondents for approval.
There was broad agreement on the “aims and intended outcomes”, “components and attributes”, and “monitoring and evaluation” of programs supporting people exiting prison. A common nomenclature for these programs, and a set of best-practice principles, are essential components for the sector to meet the needs of people transitioning from prison to community.
Speakers
Dr Tazeen Majeed
Professor Elizabeth Sullivan
Dr Jo Taylor
Tuesday 24 October
High performance green buildings can act as therapeutic vessels for programs that heal and restore hope, while helping to helping to restore vibrancy to urban settings and marginalized communities. Our panel will present exemplars of this linkage between sustainability thinking, design excellence, and progressive correctional practices, both completed and underway.
This presentation will share local research and evidence-based theories used to inform The Neu Empowerment Model which enables case managers to guide the children and youth to achieve a sense of control. The presentation will also share ongoing and recent initiatives undertaken by SPS, NeuGen, and community partners to involve and support the offenders' families, especially children, in the rehabilitation and reintegration journey, through various initiatives like coordinated referral process and strengthening the community network.
The SAW Project identifies countries offering community supervision services, documents current practices, builds relationships with key administrators, and is creating an interactive internet repository for gleaned program information. With positive practices in operation, models should not need to be reinvented across borders, but rather shared. We are building a repository of data and supportive practice details that can improve lives worldwide. Examples of exciting and effective community corrections programs will be offered from Japan, Algiers, and the Czech Republic showing how we can learn from each other.
AIM analyses data collected from prisoner’s self-service interactions: dynamic factors such as visits, phone use, shop, work, education or other purposeful activities, data collected from various prisoner questionnaires and proven static factors identified from empirical research (i.e. age or previous self-harm). Any deviation in an individual’s daily routine is identified and represented on a scale from low to high through intuitive traffic light indicators with red signalling a need for intervention.
Its success is attributed to its emphasis on tikanga Māori principles, which prioritize relationships, respect, and responsibility. The programme's success has also been recognized by the New Zealand government, which has invested in expanding the programme to other regions. This expansion is expected to have a significant impact on reducing recidivism rates and improving the health, wellbeing, and quality of life for individuals who have been incarcerated.
The purpose of this specific presentation is to offer experience of participant led research with the women involved in the study. It will explore the innovative research opportunities that have emerged, such as photo-elicitation, creative writing and art (Richard and Lahman 2015). It will also document the challenges, for example, communication within the prison system, conflict between participants and the importance of a neutral position between staff and prisoner relationships (Van Eyk et al 2020). My experience will be valuable to future researchers wishing to navigate access into prison environments.
The research is ongoing; nonetheless an evaluation will be offered of the process to date and I will share some personal reflections about the emotionally turbulent nature of conducting a 2-year case study with incarcerated women, many of whom are mothers like myself.
9.30am – 10.30am EDT
IACFP Distinguished Scholar Lecture - "Dignity and Identity Between Individual, Institutional and Societal Interests" (PID220)
IACFP Distinguished Scholar Lecture - "Dignity and Identity Between Individual, Institutional and Societal Interests" (PID220)
Plenary Session
How should we understand “humane” corrections? What does it mean to do “more”? And who are “we”?
I contend that aiming for “humane” corrections entails more than avoiding or combatting human rights violations and needs to focus on the experiences of personal dignity and identity of those subjected to penal power. I concentrate on prisons and on reintegration practices, but several aspects of the discussion also apply to community sanctions.
“Dignity” is at the centre of (European) human rights protection and of prisoners’ assessments of the moral performance of prisons. Tensions arise though between the personal dignity of individual prisoners and their social dignity as recognized by society, prison systems, and courts.
Empirical research illustrates broader dehumanising mechanisms in total institutions. A comparison of a prison and a rehabilitation hospital shows similarities in the loss of social roles; the (extreme) dependency on frontline staff; and institutional interests superseding individual needs and interests; all resulting in attacks on personal dignity and identity.
The main difference relates to the level of professional support felt by the inhabitants to reintegrate into society. European human rights standards recognise reintegration as an essential aim of corrections and an important element of human dignity. They also heavily rely on professional expertise to strike a balance between the individual right to be considered for reintegration and the protection of societal interests. Research illustrates however how the penal power exercised by forensic psychologists and psychiatrists, through its focus on risk assessments diminishes their professional legitimacy, creates tensions between personal dignity and identity and forensic identity, and may hamper rather than foster successful reintegration practices.
Reflecting on what “we” could do more hence relates to all professionals involved in corrections: frontline prison staff (justice and care); forensic experts (formal, subjective and professional legitimacy; procedural and social justice); prison management (dignity through agency); and prison scholars (moral performance; successful reintegration; translation to policy and practice).
Speakers
Dr. Sonja Snacken
11am – 11.30am EDT
How Connection Can Improve Outcomes for Correctional Staff and Incarcerated Individuals (PID026)
How Connection Can Improve Outcomes for Correctional Staff and Incarcerated Individuals (PID026)
Workshop Session
A life spent in US prisons is shortened significantly (Cheek and Miller, 1982; Parker, 2011; Patterson, 2013). The purpose of this session is to examine the health outcomes for staff and incarcerated individuals, explore how popular prison design exacerbates poor physical and psychological health, and discuss approaches that improve health and success outcomes for staff and justice-involved persons.
The session will include a review of how one state deployed a pilot test of various mental health interventions to improve psychological wellbeing for staff and residents. Data and lessons learned from the pilots will be shared. The session will conclude by leveraging relational neuroscience (Banks and Hirschman, 2016) to provide suggestions on how to improve system outcomes by directly addressing underlying causes of mental health disorders (i.e. trauma), reducing staff-resident power differentials, and empowering residents to provide structured peer supports.
Speakers
Bree Derrick PhD
Evaluation of Home Detention in South Australia (PID038)
Evaluation of Home Detention in South Australia (PID038)
Workshop Session
In 2016, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) in South Australia commissioned an independent evaluation of Home Detention (HD) in the state by the University of New South Wales Australia. The objective of the evaluation was to examine the impact that related legislative and program changes had on return to prison rates; forecast prisoner growth, and government expenditure on correctional services.
The evaluation concluded in 2022. This presentation describes the final results of the six-year evaluation pertaining to:
1) reoffending outcomes of prisoners sentenced to different forms of home detention compared to matched samples of prisoners sentenced to incarceration;
2) the impact service delivery and support models for Home Detention; and
3) a cost-effectiveness analysis determining if Home Detention in the state offers value for money for government.
The results demonstrated reductions in the likelihood of recidivism for Home Detention participants relative to matched samples of inmates who received prison sentences, as well as substantial cost savings relative to incarceration.
Speakers
Darian Shephard-Bayly
Redefining the Prison Experience for Young Adult Fathers and their Children (PID088)
Redefining the Prison Experience for Young Adult Fathers and their Children (PID088)
Workshop Session
The science of brain development is clear, 18–26-year-olds are still developing. Key neurological functions such as risk taking, impulse control, and social judgment are largely influenced by peers and environmental factors, which are severely inhibited, or non-existent, in prison. To better address this reality and promote development in a healthier and more compassionate environment, the Massachusetts Department of Correction created a specialized unit for young adult fathers (BRAVE). This program serves a dual purpose of helping to develop these young people and shifting the correctional culture in a larger context for all who live, work, or visit our facilities.
A unique goal of our work, and perhaps one of the most challenging aspects, is providing opportunities for autonomy in this environment, which is critical to “normal” development. The physical space, activities, treatment, and reentry preparation all supplement the key values of treating others with dignity, reframing peer pressure to be more positive and productive, and redirecting participants to healthier life choices. Each step of this process has been deliberate to meet these objectives, including refurbishing a housing unit to create a space that affirms a community atmosphere and a visitation area conducive to engagement with children and families.
This presentation will briefly cover the planning and implementation phases of this initiative, with a focus on lessons learned about our approach to creating a healthier, positive community for incarcerated young adult parents and among those living and working in prison.
Speakers
Kyle Pelletier
Driving a System-level Transformation of the New Zealand Prison System from a Human Rights Foundation (PID152)
Driving a System-level Transformation of the New Zealand Prison System from a Human Rights Foundation (PID152)
Workshop Session
The Chief Ombudsman in New Zealand commenced a systemic investigation in 2021 to identify systemic barriers and opportunities to effect significant and sustained change. The key recurring themes in the Ombudsman OPCAT and similar inspection reports that indicate opportunities to build a more humane prison system include:
- Limited progress towards implementing our Hōkai Rangi strategy (this strategy expresses our commitment to delivering better outcomes with and for Māori; the indigenous people of New Zealand) and prioritising human rights
- Practices around the use of coercive powers, such as strip searches and use of segregation
- Access to wellbeing-focused activities – such as rehabilitation and reintegration services
- Data recording and analysis practices that relate to assurance of performance
Many of the concerns identified by the Ombudsman have also been identified by Corrections. To effect system-wide transformation that will better enable us to realise our strategic vision, we have begun the following programmes of work:
- A system-level operating model and reorganisation
- A system-level care framework
- An integrated pathway applied across functional areas that supports a person on their journey through the corrections system.
- A wellbeing measurement tool for people living and working in New Zealand prisons
This is a three-part workshop. The first session will focus on outlining the key findings and themes in the Ombudsman’s investigation. The second and third sessions will be deep dives into the four transformation programmes describing their purpose, progress, and testing the direction of travel with an international audience.
Speakers
Dr Juanita Ryan
Juvenile Justice and Neurodiversity: Accentuating Multimodal Imperatives and Approaches for Reintegrative Rehabilitation (PID095)
Juvenile Justice and Neurodiversity: Accentuating Multimodal Imperatives and Approaches for Reintegrative Rehabilitation (PID095)
Workshop Session
The concept of neurodiversity has already taken centerstage in Malaysia, yet the understanding is merely superficial even otherworldly, especially in the juvenile justice platform. With the disproportionately significant prevalence of youth with neurodiversity in juvenile justice system, the concern nuances within those relevant parties, specifically when the issue of youth with neurodivergent spectrum being discussed, on how to deal with them appositely. Neurodivergent juvenile delinquents, aged 14 to 21, need specific and objective-driven interventions with neurodiversity as the focal point, and being penalized even institutionalized in penitentiary without proper and effectual intervention based on their neurodivergent needs somehow ineffectively ensure them to be given rehabilitation needed. There is an exigent demand for reviewing a justifiable and effective rehabilitative program that cater their needs to avoid inefficient and inept interventions being implemented onto them. Rather than dehumanizing and misappropriation in nature of existing correctional approach, proper intervention in accordance with their neurodivergent attributes may lead towards cultivating pro-social environment plus developing social and interpersonal skills towards reintegration. The emphasis will be given onto multiple factors from taxonomical classification, systemic features, risk-needs attributes, and socio-cultural elements. Thus, to have an adequate efficacious method that is ‘neurodivergent-friendly’, from pre-trial assessments to program development analysis, implementation as well as monitoring, to evaluation and fading process for reintegration as a final point may be considered as more proper interventions, not only on the basis of more humanizing approach, but also to ensure their rights for receiving effective need-based and person-oriented rehabilitation are protected and well-looked-after.Speakers
Sayed Mawismi Sayed Mohamad Mustar
How a Sustainable Building Embodies Humane Treatment and Promotes Hope and Healing (PID127)
How a Sustainable Building Embodies Humane Treatment and Promotes Hope and Healing (PID127)
Workshop Session
The humane innovations in the care and custody of people confined in psychiatric hospitals, jails and prisons require a new narrative about the buildings that shape their every day experience, and high performance green buildings provide a compelling metaphor for restoration. As we seek to heal the planet, we should too seek to heal those damaged by neglect and trauma, as they daily arrive at the doors of the justice system. We now know that harsh conditions only create violent, unsafe facilities that magnify anti-social behavior, deepen cynicism and hopelessness, and that we can do better.
High performance green buildings can act as therapeutic vessels for programs that heal and restore hope, while helping to helping to restore vibrancy to urban settings and marginalized communities. Our panel will present exemplars of this linkage between sustainability thinking, design excellence, and progressive correctional practices, both completed and underway.
Speakers
11am – 12pm EDT
Promoting Humane Corrections: A Call for Compassion in Our Sector (PID901)
Promoting Humane Corrections: A Call for Compassion in Our Sector (PID901)
Major Sponsor Presentation
Every incarcerated individual is a human being entitled to respect and dignity, irrespective of their personal history or past actions. This underscores the importance of a fundamental re-evaluation. We must reconsider our approach, not merely by treating inmates as humans, but by recognizing our services and support as something they inherently deserve. The belief in this commitment is a shared one, transcending any specific organization. The potential for success lies in our ability as a sector to contribute to altruistic outcomes, driven by a genuine desire for better societal results rooted in compassionate and socially responsible service delivery. This presentation will explore this concept and how our sector/ecosystem can be human elevating the approach above humane.
Speakers
Donna Creaven
Simon Bonk
11.30am – 12pm EDT
"I'm Tired": Understanding Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Burnout in Correctional Healthcare Staff (PID030)
"I'm Tired": Understanding Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Burnout in Correctional Healthcare Staff (PID030)
Workshop Session
Persons who are justice-involved often present with complex social and healthcare needs in the setting of complex justice systems. The correctional healthcare staff in which they interact have the potential to develop secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. While the three terms are conceptually different, all three have the potential to negatively impact staff wellbeing and quality of life. When experienced over time, they can have profound physical, emotional, spiritual and professional effects on the functioning of the team member experiencing them. Leaders of correctional systems that employ healthcare staff can prevent compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout by creating work environments that foster a culture of teamwork between correctional and healthcare disciplines and positive peer relationships. Interventions that cultivate a sense of self-awareness and teach skills in building resilience and positive coping mechanisms provide means for recognizing secondary traumatic stress, addressing compassion fatigue, and preventing burnout.Speakers
Dr. Tashima Ricks
Strengthening Assessment in Community Corrections and Implementing Treatment Through Public-private Collaboration (PID050)
Strengthening Assessment in Community Corrections and Implementing Treatment Through Public-private Collaboration (PID050)
Workshop Session
The Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model is regarded as a fundamental approach to offender treatment in the corrections field, and assessment is a particularly important element to provide effective treatment in accordance with the RNR model. In Japan, assessment by the Case Formulation in Probation/Parole (CFP) tool was officially introduced in January 2021. The CFP is used to sort factors that lead to reoffending or delinquency and factors that promote rehabilitation into eight categories, and probation officers use the results of the assessment to draw charts or timelines to help elaborate the interactive relationships among these factors visually. The CFP helps probation officers identify supervisees’ personal and environmental characteristics that are criminogenic or promote desistance, and they assist probation officers in drafting individually tailored treatment plans. During implementation of supervision, probation officers continuously check the status of these factors and characteristics. Through these measures, probation officers and hogoshi (volunteer probation officers) can strengthen collaboration and develop a common understanding of what works to promote desistance. By helping probation officers identify positive or negative changes in supervisees’ lives and, if necessary, review and revise treatment plans, the CFP is improving probation practice in Japan.Speakers
Hiroyuki Watanabe
Mitsuho Yoshimoto
The B.R.A.V.E. Unit: Incarcerated Young Fathers in Massachusetts Prisons (PID173)
The B.R.A.V.E. Unit: Incarcerated Young Fathers in Massachusetts Prisons (PID173)
Workshop Session
While the United States is not known for its dignified or humane approach in the treatment of incarcerated persons, there are pockets of innovation in jails and prisons that offer hope for a better future. In this project, we evaluate the B.R.A.V.E. unit within one of the state prisons in Massachusetts. The vision of B.R.A.V.E. (Building Responsible Adults through Validation and Education) is to develop young fathers into positive role models to build strong family and community bonds and end recidivism for future generations. To achieve this, the B.R.A.V.E. unit seeks to develop young fathers' emotional awareness through improved perspective and higher values while providing a community of dignity, accountability, integrity, and respect. The unit offers extensive access to educational and cognitive behavioral programming using a nationally recognized curriculum and features additional programs specific to young fathers (including Nurturing Fathers and 24/7 Dads).
In this presentation, we report primarily on our qualitative findings from our evaluation of the unit. To evaluate the pro-social impacts of the unit on incarcerated individuals, we interviewed the young men who are currently part of the B.R.A.V.E. unit to better understand their experiences within this unit and to capture their self-appraisal of its impacts on them. To evaluate the impact of this innovation on overall prison culture, we also conducted extensive interviews with the staff who envisioned, designed and then launched the unit, the staff who work on this unit, the mentors who are integral to the model, and the prison’s leadership.
Speakers
Professor Natasha Frost
Dr Rhiana Kohl
Creating Human Correctional Environments Through Purposeful Activity: The Efforts of Hong Kong Correctional Services (PID135)
Creating Human Correctional Environments Through Purposeful Activity: The Efforts of Hong Kong Correctional Services (PID135)
Workshop Session
The Hong Kong Correctional Services Department (HKCSD) is committed to providing professional and humane correctional services that prioritize offender rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Through purposeful activities, education, and training, HKCSD aims to promote a culture of respect, responsibility, and productivity that positively impacts the overall correctional environment. HKCSD has adopted a two-pronged approach to create more opportunities for upward mobility for rehabilitated persons, focusing on further studies and employment. This approach has contributed to a significant decrease in the recidivism rate in Hong Kong over the past two decades. HKCSD offers market-oriented vocational training programs that equip persons in custody with practical skills and knowledge to facilitate successful reintegration, with high passing rates and employment rates after release. Education programs also promote a sense of purpose and achievement, boosting self-esteem and contributing to a positive self-identity for persons in custody. While young persons in custody are required to take half-day education mandatorily, adult persons in custody are also encouraged to participate voluntarily in self-study or distance learning for tertiary education. To this, HKCSD had signed MOUs with universities in Hong Kong to provide supports in various aspect aiming to foster continual education in prison settings. Additionally, the department provides psychological services to assist young persons in custody to develop positive values and mindsets, strengthening psychological resilience and emotion regulation. Overall, HKCSD's commitment to purposeful activity, education, and training has led to a decline in recidivism rates and has contributed to a safer and more inclusive society.Speakers
Yiu-nam Adrian CHAN
Balancing Human Rights and Community Safety - Reducing Incarceration of People with a Disability (PID172)
Balancing Human Rights and Community Safety - Reducing Incarceration of People with a Disability (PID172)
Workshop Session
Australia’s incarceration rate is higher than at any time since the year 1900. Of those entering Australian prisons 78% are unsentenced, with 73% being previously imprisoned and people with a disability form 29% of all prisoners in Australia. The Australian Community Support Organisation (ACSO) is a not for profit and provides an intensive program for people with a Disability who present with extreme complex behaviours. This group are at risk of or have history of serious violent and/or sexualised offending which is impacted by substance use, co-morbid mental health conditions and chronic homelessness.
ACSO's vision is for a community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and prison truly is the last resort. ACSO's Specialist Forensic Disability Accommodation (SFDA) program is an intensive medium term residential support program that successfully increases community engagement and access, reduces the use of restrictive practices and offending behaviours. The service model includes a focus on building skills and positive behaviour support to reduce high risk and offending behaviours.
Our presentation will showcase ACSO’s practice in delivering the Specialist Forensic Disability Accommodation (SFDA) program and highlight recent evaluation outcomes and analysis of social impact.
Speakers
Cath Williams
12pm – 12.30pm EDT
Perceived Occupational Adversity and the Wellbeing of Community Corrections Officers: International Findings (PID022)
Perceived Occupational Adversity and the Wellbeing of Community Corrections Officers: International Findings (PID022)
Workshop Session
This paper presents the findings from a study aimed at increasing our empirical understanding of the wellbeing challenges facing community corrections officers. To gain more detailed insight into this issue, 216 community corrections officers from four countries (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United States) completed a survey which included the Perceived Occupational Adversity Scale (POAS), a Perceived Stress Scale, and items relating to perceptions of overall professional adversity as well as intentions to leave the profession. The POAS is a 36-item scale which provides a diagnostic indication of the specific six work-related challenges that are most negatively impacting community corrections officers (i.e. client management, risk/safety, perceptions of success, professional acknowledgement, working in a multi-system environment, and dual responsibility). Results indicate that there is a clear relationship across all four countries between POAS scores, perceived stress and the degree to which community corrections officers have considered leaving the profession. Further analysis indicates that although the work-related challenges represented in the POAS were acknowledged as negatively impacting the wellbeing of community corrections officers, the “profile” (i.e. the ranking of the six challenges) differs across countries. In addition to providing an empirical picture of the wellbeing journey for community corrections officers (i.e. POAS > Stress > Intention to Leave Profession), the results of this study also highlight the importance of ensuring that wellbeing intervention programs are informed through a diagnostic tool such as the POAS to ensure that the intervention is responsive to the perceived challenges of the target group.Speakers
Professor Jeffrey Pfeifer
Assisting Offenders Without Supervision, Especially for Those With Specific Needs (PID007)
Community Partnership to Support Families and Children of Offenders and Ex-offenders (PID140)
Community Partnership to Support Families and Children of Offenders and Ex-offenders (PID140)
Workshop Session
Singapore Prison Service (SPS) recognises the importance of supporting and involving families and children of offenders and ex-offenders, which aims to promote desistance in the ex-offender, and mitigate the risk of inter-generational offending.
This presentation will share local research and evidence-based theories used to inform The Neu Empowerment Model which enables case managers to guide the children and youth to achieve a sense of control. The presentation will also share ongoing and recent initiatives undertaken by SPS, NeuGen, and community partners to involve and support the offenders' families, especially children, in the rehabilitation and reintegration journey, through various initiatives like coordinated referral process and strengthening the community network.
Speakers
Patricia Tung
Wee Teck Tan
Neurodiversity-informed Practices in Prison and Probation Services (PID121)
Neurodiversity-informed Practices in Prison and Probation Services (PID121)
Workshop Session
In this presentation, research is combined with hands-on solutions for more humane neurodiversity-informed practices. The objective is to present current challenges concerning environmental factors and encountering neurodivergent offenders in prison and probation services as well as to introduce possible solutions for how to create neurodiversity-informed practices for more humane correctional environments.Speakers
Katri Mikkola
Greenspace in Prison and Benefits for Prisoner and Staff Wellbeing (PID215)
Greenspace in Prison and Benefits for Prisoner and Staff Wellbeing (PID215)
Workshop Session
This presentation explores the effects of green space within and near to prisons on the wellbeing of those who live and work in these institutions. Building on extensive qualitative research in the UK and Scandinavia, and reporting recent groundbreaking quantitative analysis within England and Wales. For the first time, it robustly demonstrates that green space improves self-reported wellbeing, and reduces levels of self-harm and violence amongst incarcerated populations, and that it also reduces prison staff sickness absence. The presentation will cover both the theoretical connections between green space and wellbeing, the specific empirical findings of the research, and the policy implications for the design and alteration of prison environments.Speakers
Prof Dominique Moran
1.30pm – 2.15pm EDT
Changing Incarceration: A Conversation from the Perspective of Lived Experience (PID189)
Changing Incarceration: A Conversation from the Perspective of Lived Experience (PID189)
Plenary Session
Many of today’s prisons are outdated – built for another purpose at another time. When building new prisons, the past is repeated. These old prisons, or new ones with this old design, often make applying the current European penology in practice challenging. With input from persons with lived experience, the panel-style interview will be an exciting and fascinating dive into the benefits of small-scale detention houses from a multitude of perspectives. This interview-style panel invites the audience to reflect on lived experiences, as the format amplifies the voice of formerly incarcerated persons. It is a voice often excluded from dialogue, yet vital to ensuring a humane approach.Speakers
Roger Nilsen
Noa Shoshan
Lara van der Well
Tobias Merckle
2.15pm – 3pm EDT
Humanity in Detention: What About the Voice of People Deprived of Freedom? (PID207)
Humanity in Detention: What About the Voice of People Deprived of Freedom? (PID207)
Plenary Session
When we are seeking to make prisons more humane, we must begin first by understanding the problems and not just the needs. How can the voice of Persons Deprived of Liberty and those who have lived experience in places of detention be incorporated into the understanding of the systemic causes that undermine our collective approach to Humane Corrections? Building off the ICRC’s approach of ensuring the voice of detainees is at the center of our work in places of detention globally, this session will explore how the voice of Persons Deprived of Liberty can be at the center of discussions on various topics related to prison management including:- Prison Planning design and maintenance
- Health care
- Nutrition and food chain management
- Policy and Rules Development and application
Speakers
Terry Hackett
3.30pm – 4pm EDT
Co-Design of Healthcare Policies and Guidelines with People Who Are Incarcerated and Corrections Staff (PID156)
Co-Design of Healthcare Policies and Guidelines with People Who Are Incarcerated and Corrections Staff (PID156)
Workshop Session
A novel project to co-design policies and guidelines for testing and linkage to care for Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections (STBBIs), such as hepatitis C or HIV, in correctional settings was undertaken in British Columbia (BC), Canada. People who are incarcerated (PWAI) and staff in BC provincial correctional centres participated in the co-design process over a 24 month period. This presentation will outline the framework for co-design that was utilized, along with highlighting the recommendations made in the guidelines that were created.Speakers
Dr. Sofia Bartlett
Mo Korchinski
Transgender Behind Bars (PID101)
Transgender Behind Bars (PID101)
Workshop Session
In recent years, support for the classic idea that gender is binary has been declining. Within the prison system, however, binary genders are still assumed. Questions are emerging not only around the placement of transgender prisoners in a male or female facility, but also with regard to the treatment of this group during their imprisonment. Currently, no reliable estimate exists of the population of transgender people in European prisons. However, a recent study in England and Wales revealed that approximately two percent of prisoners in adult male prisons self-identified as transgender. International literature shows that transgender prisoners are vulnerable for human rights violations, e.g. because of the heightened risk of discrimination and abuse.
In this presentation, the human rights standards that have been developed in relation to the placement and protection of transgender prisoners in the context of the Council of Europe will be explored. It is especially the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) that has offered guidance in relation to the placement and protection of transgender prisoners.
During the presentation, also recently published pioneering research on the position of transgender prisoners in the Netherlands will be presented. This research has focused on the size of the group transgender prisoners and the experiences of transgender prisoners within the Dutch prison system.
The presentation will conclude with recommendations on the treatment of transgender persons in prison in order to ensure a safe and humane detention for this vulnerable group.
Speakers
Dr Pauline Jacobs
A Decade of Redevelopment – How Clear Vision and Strong Design Objectives Were Achieved in 4 SA Corrections Projects (PID078)
A Decade of Redevelopment – How Clear Vision and Strong Design Objectives Were Achieved in 4 SA Corrections Projects (PID078)
Workshop Session
This presentation provides two different perspectives on the 10 year Redevelopment Program undertaken by the South Australian Department for Correctional Services in their men's and women's secure facilities. It explores how a strong vision and clear design principles carried through all four projects over an extended period of time. Innovative design coupled with bold objectives has resulted in four unique projects that all contain relevant and quality examples of modern secure facility design. A focus on normalisation and privacy, choice and agency, and therapeutic and healing environments has created facilities that have already seen positive benefits to both residents and staff.
Sarah Paddick will provide an architects insight into the inception, design and delivery of the projects, and Darian Shephard-Bayly (SADCS) will give his perspective from an executive and operational position.
Speakers
Sarah Paddick FRAIA
Darian Shephard-Bayly
Access Unlocked: Improving Health Care Access in Adult Correctional Settings in NSW Australia (PID025)
Access Unlocked: Improving Health Care Access in Adult Correctional Settings in NSW Australia (PID025)
Workshop Session
Purpose: A framework for identifying and addressing variations and barriers to care access in adult correctional settings in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
Description: Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network (Justice Health NSW), delivers health care to three quarters of the state’s adult correctional population. While prisoner rights to community equivalent healthcare are enshrined in the United Nation’s Mandela Rules, access to care in custody in NSW varies across each facility and is Justice Health NSW’s highest rated organisational risk.
A project was initiated to verify the extent and causes of access barriers and variations in NSW prisons. The robust, evidence-informed, and collaborative approach led by patients and staff, confirmed key issues and defined how we can address access barriers that impact patient outcomes and service quality and efficiency.
Speakers
Wendy Hoey
Custodial Transitions: Are the Needs of Young Adults Being Met in Ireland? (PID032)
Custodial Transitions: Are the Needs of Young Adults Being Met in Ireland? (PID032)
Workshop Session
The presentation will provide the preliminary findings from a qualitative PhD research project, which is 12 months from completion. The research undertaken is in fulfilment of the PhD Law Programme in University College Dublin and co-funded by the Irish Research Council and the Probation Service. This presentation will detail the preliminary findings from the 70 semi-structured interviews conducted over a 12-month period in four custodial and non-custodial settings in Ireland, as well as four point-in-time surveys conducted within a Community Based Organisation in Dublin.
The aim of the research is to identify the needs of young adults (18 to 24 year olds) as they transition from Irish youth justice services to custodial and non-custodial settings. With a recent increase in the international attention given to criminal justice policy pertaining to the young adult cohort, this research seeks to fill that gap within the academic literature, with a view to informing imminent and future governmental strategies. The research has operated under a constructivist research paradigm, adopting an interpretive phenomenological method of analysis of the qualitative data, with the aim of examining the lived experiences of the participants.
Speakers
Alison Coyne
Providing Opportunities for Global Collaboration: The Supervision Around the World Project (PID073)
Providing Opportunities for Global Collaboration: The Supervision Around the World Project (PID073)
Workshop Session
The Supervision Around the World (SAW) Project is creating a data-sharing platform to assist global criminal justice practitioners in community supervision. Global researchers have identified best practices that help offenders reintegrate to society and different countries have implemented these practices in various manners. Through sharing positive models and supporting international collaborative efforts, our intent is to bring new ideas to the supervision industry that encourage improved outcomes.
The SAW Project identifies countries offering community supervision services, documents current practices, builds relationships with key administrators, and is creating an interactive internet repository for gleaned program information. With positive practices in operation, models should not need to be reinvented across borders, but rather shared. We are building a repository of data and supportive practice details that can improve lives worldwide. Examples of exciting and effective community corrections programs will be offered from Japan, Algiers, and the Czech Republic showing how we can learn from each other.
Speakers
Julie Truschel MA
3.30pm – 4.30pm EDT
Developing an Evidence-Based Application to Improve Wellbeing and Reduce Incidents of Suicide and Self-Harm in Prisons (PID902)
Developing an Evidence-Based Application to Improve Wellbeing and Reduce Incidents of Suicide and Self-Harm in Prisons (PID902)
Major Sponsor Presentation
Unilink Software are committed to helping corrections organisations drive positive social change within prisons and create more humane and enabling environments. Our company social purpose is to develop a toolkit of resources to help prisons work more smartly and use data insights to promote a culture of wellbeing and support. Our hope is that prisons can use our software and become safer and better places to encourage rehabilitation and recovery.
Unilink’s AIM is an analytical tool that provides operational prison staff an alternative lens to consider prisoner wellbeing and safety across their prison population. This innovative web application, based on a proof of concept used in Serco Prisons, is aligned to the evidence base for prison suicide and self-injurious behaviours and has evolved into a multiagency collaboration with other prison operators (G4S & Sodexo).
AIM analyses data collected from prisoner’s self-service interactions: dynamic factors such as visits, phone use, shop, work, education or other purposeful activities, data collected from various prisoner questionnaires and proven static factors identified from empirical research (i.e. age or previous self-harm). Any deviation in an individual’s daily routine is identified and represented on a scale from low to high through intuitive traffic light indicators with red signalling a need for intervention.
The data is presented in configurable dashboards showing population trends, targeted lists of those at heightened risk, filters to pivot between isolation or wellbeing aspects as well as graphs of prisoners’ behaviours longitudinally across their prison stay including anniversaries or key trigger dates.
Speakers
Steven Doggett
Michael Campbell
4pm – 4.30pm EDT
Reducing Violence in Prisons: Involving the Prisoner Voice and Experience (PID186)
Reducing Violence in Prisons: Involving the Prisoner Voice and Experience (PID186)
Workshop Session
This presentation portrays three research pieces that Forensic Psychologists in Serco prisons completed, bringing prisoner voice and experience to developing practices in reducing violence. Exploring prison-based violence through a prisoner lens, gives an opportunity for violence to be understood at ground level, by those who are directly or indirectly exposed to it.
Firstly, causes of violence in a UK prison and the factors that contribute to violence prevention were discussed in prisoner interviews. An interconnected theoretical model emerged, emphasising cultural maintenance factors that could promote, reinforce, and maintain a violent cultural environment.
Secondly, Procedural justice in custody pertains to how people view the decisions made by law and authority figures as fair and legitimate. Interviews with Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) prisoners showed three themes: ‘Feeling Suppressed and Oppressed’, ‘Navigating an Imposed Identity’ and ‘The Injustice of Mistrust’. The accounts in this study illustrate that feeling unable to be heard in prison was linked to the disruption of progress towards rehabilitative goals and a lack of support during times of need, recommendations are discussed.
Thirdly, we tested a hypothesis that ‘negative interpersonal relating’ can predict attrition within a prison-based Therapeutic Community (TC) using a sample of 300 prisoners on a TC in a UK prison. A multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that there were significantly higher levels of negative relating in men that did not complete therapy, compared to those who completed. These findings have important implications for working clinically with prisoners on reducing their risk of violence.
Speakers
Natalie Parrett CPsychol, AFBPsS
Sam Smith
Digital Desistance and Gender Specific Digital Rehabilitation for Offenders (PID055)
Digital Desistance and Gender Specific Digital Rehabilitation for Offenders (PID055)
Workshop Session
Gender Specific Digital Rehabilitation develops a gender specific rehabilitation model for women offenders including substance abuse rehabilitation and reducing recidivism. Women and non-binary offenders have a heightened need for support since they aren’t recognized in corrections. Digital rehabilitation aims to enhance women’s possibilities to participate. The digital learning platform includes topics like security, self-esteem, social & life skills, boundaries, respect & social support. Digital Desistance strengthens offenders’ participation in a digitalized society and improves their digital skills. Digital rehabilitation platform is co-developed with the offenders and experts by experience. The project also develops the skills and attitudes of professionals and experts by experience working with offenders in digital desistance. The theoretical background is in Desistance & Good Lives Model (GLM). These projects of Silta Rehabilitation (NGO) are funded by the European Social Fund.Speakers
Kirsi Riihijärvi
The Nightmare of Sleep in Prison (PID171)
The Nightmare of Sleep in Prison (PID171)
Workshop Session
In this workshop, Michele Deitch and Alycia Welch, authors of the soon-to-be released report “The Nightmare of Sleep in Prison: How changing sleep practices can promote a healthier, safer, and more humane correctional environment”, will identify ways that routine sleep practices in prison are dehumanizing, cause harm to people in custody, and contribute to safety issues and poor health outcomes. Drawing on examples of ways that some corrections agencies in the U.S. and in other countries have improved conditions and practices at their facilities, the presenters will recommend steps that corrections agencies and policy makers could take to promote healthy sleep for people in custody and, in so doing, better respect the humanity and dignity of people behind bars, achieve better health outcomes, and support a safer institutional environment.Speakers
Prof. Michele Deitch
Alycia Welch
Humane Youth Justice: The Challenge of Change (PID174)
Humane Youth Justice: The Challenge of Change (PID174)
Workshop Session
This presentation explores the challenge of creating change in youth justice practice and administration. It specifically examines the Australian context, and the calls for change made by the 2018 Royal Commission into Youth Detention and Child Protection in the Northern Territory. The Royal Commission involved considerable research and consultation that provided a clear rationale and evidence base for change to a less institutional, and more humane and decentralised, model of youth justice. It was promised as a watershed moment both for the Northern Territory, but also other state jurisdictions across the country. However, rather than change, what was observed across Australian youth jurisdictions was a period of real and significant instability and unrest. This presentation documents this unrest and examines why, rather than being a catalyst for change, the Royal Commission led to a retreat and seeming regression in practice. To do this, it draws on research about youth justice staff, the psychology of young people within these facilities, and research that models how people and organisations respond to uncertainty. An argument is made for an alternative positive dismantling approach to creating change within youth justice systems that centres the key role of the relationships between young people and those that care for them.Speakers
Dr Rohan Lulham
Pūwhakamua: A Tikanga Māori Rehabilitation Success in Reducing Offending and Improving Reintegration in New Zealand (PID021)
Pūwhakamua: A Tikanga Māori Rehabilitation Success in Reducing Offending and Improving Reintegration in New Zealand (PID021)
Workshop Session
Pūwhakamua is a successful tikanga Māori rehabilitation and reintegration service provider that has had a significant impact on reducing methamphetamine offending and improving the health, wellbeing, and quality of life for individuals who have been incarcerated.
Its success is attributed to its emphasis on tikanga Māori principles, which prioritize relationships, respect, and responsibility. The programme's success has also been recognized by the New Zealand government, which has invested in expanding the programme to other regions. This expansion is expected to have a significant impact on reducing recidivism rates and improving the health, wellbeing, and quality of life for individuals who have been incarcerated.
Speakers
Simon Charnock
Tremain Whatarau-Gray
4.30pm – 5pm EDT
Ask Me First: Participant-Led Research to Explore How an Irish Prison Environment Relates to Female Well-Being (PID072)
Ask Me First: Participant-Led Research to Explore How an Irish Prison Environment Relates to Female Well-Being (PID072)
Workshop Session
The climactic and physical elements of prison and their relationship with feelings of wellbeing are well documented by researchers such as Jewkes (2012, 2019) and Liebling and Maruna (2006). This context forms the backdrop to this presentation which explores participant led research design within an Irish case study of female prisoners who reside within a prison in development. The overall research project will evolve alongside the journey of these women as they prepare for their move to the new building, which has been designed from a trauma informed perspective.
The purpose of this specific presentation is to offer experience of participant led research with the women involved in the study. It will explore the innovative research opportunities that have emerged, such as photo-elicitation, creative writing and art (Richard and Lahman 2015). It will also document the challenges, for example, communication within the prison system, conflict between participants and the importance of a neutral position between staff and prisoner relationships (Van Eyk et al 2020). My experience will be valuable to future researchers wishing to navigate access into prison environments.
The research is ongoing; nonetheless an evaluation will be offered of the process to date and I will share some personal reflections about the emotionally turbulent nature of conducting a 2-year case study with incarcerated women, many of whom are mothers like myself.
Speakers
Cathy Jones
Towards Gender Parity: Empowering Women in Corrections and Peacekeeping (PID129)
Towards Gender Parity: Empowering Women in Corrections and Peacekeeping (PID129)
Workshop Session
Gender parity for uniformed peacekeepers is a main goal for the United Nations Department of Peace Operations. This presentation will demonstrate the innovative ways in which the United Nations have tackled gender-related barriers impeding women from participating fully, equally and meaningfully to peace operations’ corrections efforts. Téné Maimouna Zoungrana, a rapid intervention officer from Burkina Faso deployed to the United Nations peace operation in the Central African Republic will share her personal success story working in a peace operation context which was not initially designed to accommodate women. The presentation will expand on how humane corrections systems require diverse teams who reflect the population they serve and who bring diverse perspectives, backgrounds and skillsets to the table to ensure operational effectiveness. The speakers from the United Nations Department of Peace Operations will demonstrate how the implementation of the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy has lead to tangible results and what challenges still lie ahead of creating truly inclusive and enabling working environments for corrections officers in peacekeeping.Speakers
Téné Maimouna Zoungrana
Thanujah Yogarajah
Design for Health and Wellbeing: Space and Interior Design in Detention, Special Residential Youth Homes, and Prisons (PID201)
Design for Health and Wellbeing: Space and Interior Design in Detention, Special Residential Youth Homes, and Prisons (PID201)
Workshop Session
The physical environment is an active agent in the rehabilitation/habilitation. The environment can support the treatment alliance between the client and staff, not least by conveying a feeling of trust, security and self-determination. It is also reasonable to assume that the environment itself can reinforce or "redirect" and change the identity we carry. Incarceration comes with many losses. The question is whether the environment can compensate for the losses, in any case not amplify them. Despite the limited living conditions provided in institutional care, there are good opportunities through the design of the environment to create well-being.Speakers
Dr Franz James
Computer-Aided Detection (CAD): Using Artificial Intelligence to Provide Humane Treatment in Haitian Prisons (PID199)
Computer-Aided Detection (CAD): Using Artificial Intelligence to Provide Humane Treatment in Haitian Prisons (PID199)
Workshop Session
The humane treatment and public health of justice involved people matters! We have used computer-aided detection (CAD) in Haiti and the Central African Republic which offers an opportunity to improve TB detection by overcoming inefficiencies in CXR image interpretation, automating and standardizing X-ray interpretation, and complementing shortage of specialized healthcare personnel.
In low-income countries, using an application allows the rapid detection of cases is invaluable. It allows early treatment, reducing the rate of contagiousness and thus cutting the chain of transmission. Health through Walls, an organization operating in developing countries, has used Artificial intelligence, developed by Qure.ai and identified the incidence of tuberculosis as three times higher than the national figures.
A.I. can be used to diagnose tuberculosis at a faster rate in order to prevent severe illness. These models can guide medical personnel to a presumptive diagnosis and further help them to come to a decision. The use of the application developed by Qure.ai for the automatic reading of chest X-Rays allows us in Haiti and the Central African Republic to detect many more cases of tuberculosis in vulnerable population at high risk. Low-income countries would benefit from using Artificial Intelligence. It’s a long-term investment in the humane treatment of justice involved populations and has an immediate impact for the individual and the broader public health of the community.
We would love to share our program approach and impacts with you! Please come and join us and let us know what you are doing in your operations!
Speakers
Karine Duverger
Ivan Calder
Children Have Human Rights Too: A Comparative Analysis of Correctional Service Staff Training in EU Youth Justice (PID166)
Children Have Human Rights Too: A Comparative Analysis of Correctional Service Staff Training in EU Youth Justice (PID166)
Workshop Session
With contribution from Ana Rita Pires, João Gomes and Raquel Venâncio
Prison and probation services working with sentenced and convicted children have an essential role in safeguarding their human and fundamental rights, in accordance with The Beijing Rules and The Nelson Mandela Rules. Therefore, adequate and sustained capacity-building of correctional services to address children's rights should be the norm, as stressed in the European Rules for Juvenile Offenders Subject to Sanctions or Measures and the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, among other legislations. However, there is a current lack of common standards across the EU on proper training for humane, child-friendly justice to address the diverse needs of disadvantaged children (i.e. with learning difficulties, different [minority] backgrounds, family problems, disabilities, and others). In this light, the ARISA Child EU-funded project intends to upscale the capacity of prison and probation services working with sentenced children, by better assessing the training needs of professionals throughout the EU, mapping and promoting the exchange of best practices and working models, as well as by creating a state-of-the-art training course aiming to promote rehabilitative juvenile justice. Findings from an inter-jurisdiction comparative analysis will be presented in this plenary, regarding both staff training needs and best practices, which highlights inherent diversities between the juvenile justice systems across EU Member States, and points to the need for common minimum training standards in what concerns a more child-centred approach to rehabilitative justice; with staff who are empowered with the knowledge of how to treat them with dignity and respect, while addressing their unique rehabilitative needs.
Speakers
Claire Machan
They All Come Out: Mapping the Desistence Journeys of 200 Men Leaving HM Prison Bullingdon over 18 Months (PID077)
They All Come Out: Mapping the Desistence Journeys of 200 Men Leaving HM Prison Bullingdon over 18 Months (PID077)
Workshop Session
In collaboration with the Ministry of Justice’s pilot project ‘RESTART Thames Valley', I investigate the resettlement journeys of 200 prison-leavers released from HM Prison Bullingdon over 18 months. I have conducted ethnographic data collection through a combination of participant observation, and unstructured, sequential interviews with prison leavers both pre- and post-release. This presentation maps the four most common, heterogeneous and dynamic patterns of desistence pathways observed in my sample.Speakers
Helen Kosc DPhil
Wednesday 25 October
The BelRAI Screener Detention includes four sections: (1) medical past/history, (2) physical health, (3) mental health indicators and behaviours, and (4) social care needs. The BelRAI Screener Detention will be completed by care providers based on information they get from the person in custody and prison staff. The psychometric properties, and the suitability, feasibility and acceptability of the BelRAI Screener Detention will be tested in three Belgian prisons.
Through the perspective of realist methodology, we reviewed 29 international articles and reports on peer programs in prison to gain insight into its’ outcomes, the underlying mechanisms and the conditions under which such programs are likely to be effective. Peer programs have potential benefits for peer workers (e.g. desistance, improved knowledge/skills), peer recipients (e.g. desistance, improved mental health), and prisons (e.g. improved atmosphere, fewer institutional infractions). The success of peer programs is contingent on a number of factors on micro-level (i.e. motivation of peer workers, recruitment requirements), exo-level (i.e. institutional prison profile, training/hands-on experiences of peer workers, institutional buy-in), and macro-level (i.e. government support, resources). Moreover, we identified different underlying mechanisms to optimize the effectiveness of peer programs, such as supporting peer workers, or developing human relationships based on trust and equality. The incorporation of a realist science perspective to unravel the outcomes of peer programs in prison, as well as the underlying contextual factors and mechanisms, provides valuable insights for practitioners and policy makers in designing and implementing effective programs.
8.50am – 9.20am EDT
Regional Day Welcome and Introduction
9.20am – 9.50am EDT
Towards Improving Humane Detention and Re-integration: New Roles in a New Prison Culture (PID012)
Towards Improving Humane Detention and Re-integration: New Roles in a New Prison Culture (PID012)
Plenary Session
Trough capacity differentiation and job differentiation, the Belgian Prison Service wants to create a new prison culture that aims at higher quality interactions between staff and inmates, a higher degree of autonomy and participation in meaningful activities for inmates – being all determinate factors for better living conditions as well as for better working conditions for prison staff.
The inmate is guided through a humane and safe detention process in order to return to society as a law abiding citizen by deriving all the taken steps with regard to him/her from consultations within a multidisciplinary team consisting of three main actors: the detention management, the psychosocial service and the new ‘detention guides’.
The detention guides are being selected and trained in a specific way: after having participated in a common training program, they follow a specific training in individual counselling and motivation, resilience, mediation, group dynamics, Good Lives Model, managing dilemmas, multidisciplinary consultation, etc.
From September 20022 until April 2023 the new profiles of detention guides have been implemented in the small scale detention house of Kortrijk and the new prison of Haren, consistig of small living units of 30 inmates, and Dendermonde. After evaluation, the project will be implemented in other prisons as well.
Speakers
Hilde Guffens
Mies Beckers
11am – 11.30am EDT
Life After Custody: How to Make it Work? A Belgian Approach of Probation and Community Services (PID206)
Together, Learning and Thinking about Punishment (PID020)
Together, Learning and Thinking about Punishment (PID020)
Workshop Session
In this workshop we discuss how university students, prison officers and incarcerated learners can be equally seen as students in a semester-course on penology. This workshop shows how transformative learning can take place behind prison walls, and zooms in on the experiences of all participants.Speakers
Drugs and Detention: When Justice and Public Health Come Together to Develop a Model of Care for Incarcerated Users (PID054)
Educational Center Wortel: A Complicated Marriage Between Restorative Purposes and a Prison System (PID029)
Educational Center Wortel: A Complicated Marriage Between Restorative Purposes and a Prison System (PID029)
Workshop Session
A nuanced story about the successes and challenges we faced, and are still facing, concerning the organization of education and activities for detainees. In this lecture there will be also a strong focus on how the meaningful use of the time spent in detention can contribute to make detention more bearable and how it minimalizes the chances of recidivism.Speakers
Ann Boks
Sofie Luyckx
Documentary Series about Detention as a Lever for Change (PID205)
11.30am – 12pm EDT
The Complexity of Re-entry Among Incarcerated People in Flanders and Brussels (Be.): Insights from the BRuG-project Survey (PID125)
The Complexity of Re-entry Among Incarcerated People in Flanders and Brussels (Be.): Insights from the BRuG-project Survey (PID125)
Workshop Session
More than 10 million people are imprisoned worldwide and as it is often said: “99% of them will be released one day”. A prison sentence has a major impact on the life of incarcerated persons (e.g. losing their job, homes, shrinking social network).
As the Flemish government (Belgium) aimed to gain more insight into the reentry process of incarcerated people, the BRuG-project was launched. This currently ongoing research project is developed with the aim of decreasing recidivism rates on the long-term by adapting the current offer of services and activities to the real needs experienced by people living in detention.
To gain insight into these aspects, a survey has been conducted in almost all prisons in Flanders and Brussels among a representative sample of incarcerated persons. In total, 777 people participated, which is 11.2% of the total prison population. The multi-faceted ecological model by Graffam & Shinkfield (2012) is used to present the complexity of factors affecting reentry. Factors at three broad ecological domains are discussed: (1) intrapersonal conditions (e.g. physical and psychological health, substance use), (2) subsistence conditions (e.g. finances, employment and housing) and (3) support conditions (e.g. social support, support services/ program participation). Attention is paid to people’s life before incarceration, during imprisonment, and their concerns towards reentry.
The results of the survey entail the potential to tailor the current services and activities to better support the reentry process, which is a known as a challenging process for many.
Speakers
Leen Vandevelde
Dorien Brosens
Teaching the Use of the Same Personality Type Tool to Staff and Inmates to Reinforce Dynamic Security Opportunities (PID148)
Sport in Prison: More than an Individual Tool for Social Reintegration; A Collective Tool for Social Cohesion (PID064)
Sport in Prison: More than an Individual Tool for Social Reintegration; A Collective Tool for Social Cohesion (PID064)
Workshop Session
In 2021, a pilot project to train UEFA D trainers was developed in Belgian prisons. The particularity of this project is to involve different political and sport structures, but above all to include civil society as an active partner through internships with young people in football clubs. This project has developed an unprecedented penitentiary and reintegration policy. It has led to the development of a dynamic and participative risk management policy. Beyond a new project for social reintegration, it is above all a tool for social cohesion, enabling everyone to take their place as citizens and actors in the execution of sentences and in the – often chaotic – return of prisoners to civil society.
Speakers
Ten Years of PPP in Belgian Prisons: What Opportunities for the Reintegration of Prisoners and their Living Conditions? (PID204)
Learning Inside Out (LIO) Offers Education and Study Counselling to Inmates in All Prisons in Flanders and Brussels (PID097)
Learning Inside Out (LIO) Offers Education and Study Counselling to Inmates in All Prisons in Flanders and Brussels (PID097)
Workshop Session
An educational counselor is an addition to the current educational programs in prison. For a long time, group training courses have been offered in prisons in Flanders and Brussels, in cooperation with educational institutions. The type of training is determined by the specific educational needs of the inmates in that particular prison. Yet some inmates don’t find their needs in the courses offered.
An educational counselor starts with the wishes of the person in front of him. With an intense orientation, the client gains insight into its talents/ potential and can use them to map out its future. The Departments of Justice and Employment are also involved in this orientation phase. This will allow the educational counselor to draw up a plan that will improve the chances of successful reintegration. Depending on the course, it is not possible to complete certain modules (lab, internship,...) in prison. The counselor tries to achieve as much as possible within the detention period. If the client needs to continue its education after detention, the education counselor provides support post-release to the student, the school or the judicial assistant.
Speakers
Benedicte De Bock
Good Practices in a Bad Environment (PID060)
Good Practices in a Bad Environment (PID060)
Workshop Session
The presentation focuses first on the as is-situation, which is no good news show but an honest representation of the reality in an old understaffed, overpopulated prison. To then zoom in on how we make the best of it, how we succeed in keeping the peace, both amongst inmates as amongst staff.Speakers
An Janssens
12pm – 12.30pm EDT
How Can We Support Correctional Officer Wellbeing? Mixed Method Results and Recommendations (PID098)
How Can We Support Correctional Officer Wellbeing? Mixed Method Results and Recommendations (PID098)
Workshop Session
Working in corrections can be stressful and involve exposure to potentially traumatic critical incidents. As such, corrections personnel have exhibited high rates of psychopathology including posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Such symptoms can impact staff capacity to manage the people under their care. In contrast, research into correctional officer wellbeing as more than disorder absence is extremely limited. Therefore, this research program aimed to examine both markers of stress and wellbeing in correctional officers using a mixed method design and a salutogenic framework.
Results of a qualitative thematic analysis and a large-scale survey exploring correctional officer wellbeing will be discussed. In doing so, recommendations around supporting correctional officers in order to develop and sustain a mentally healthy workforce will be provided. Overall, the research suggests that correctional officers can simultaneously experience symptoms of stress and wellbeing. Therefore, in supporting correctional officers, organisations should not only consider how they can alleviate symptoms of psychopathology but also how they can enhance wellbeing. Understanding correctional officer wellbeing is of critical importance as employees with wellbeing tend to be more productive and satisfied at work, which can then flow on to benefit employers and prison residents.
Speakers
Olivia Miller
How, Why, for Whom and Under Which Circumstances Do Participatory Music Programs in Prison Work: Preliminary Findings (PID014)
How, Why, for Whom and Under Which Circumstances Do Participatory Music Programs in Prison Work: Preliminary Findings (PID014)
Workshop Session
Participatory music programs in prison gained popularity in recent years due to their contribution to more humane correctional facilities. Previous research highlights the outcomes of these programs for incarcerated participants, like managing and expressing emotions, or self-development. However, a deeper understanding on how, why, for whom and under which circumstances these outcomes emerge remains under investigated. To respond to this research gap, this ongoing PhD research aims to develop a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms (e.g. providing a safe space, applying a Freirean approach) and contextual factors (e.g. the prison context, the background of the music facilitator) behind participatory music programs in prison, that trigger (un)intended outcomes. Based on preliminary findings from a realist synthesis, theory-gleaning interviews with international key stakeholders such as academics and music program developers, and participant observations of participatory music programs in prison, initial program theories are developed. An example of such an initial program theory about participatory music programs in prison is: It is expected that, if a shared goal [mechanism] is established during the participatory music program in prison, the self-confidence of incarcerated participants increases [outcome 1]. Participants experience a sense of accomplishment [outcome 2], which facilitates their self-development [outcome 3]. This research is of added value for practice and academia since it provides deeper and richer information on how to deal with the challenges related to organizing participatory music programs in a prison setting.Speakers
Multi-agency Approach of Radicalized Inmates in Belgium (PID108)
Multi-agency Approach of Radicalized Inmates in Belgium (PID108)
Workshop Session
The working of three main services involved in addressing the phenomenon of radicalization, extremism and terrorism in Belgian Prison Service will be presented. In accordance to the Federal Strategy on this phenomenon, we work according to a multi-agency approach with both focus on security as well as socio-prevention and reintegration. The common finality as well as the specificity of the different services will be illustrated. We will also present a fictional case, following the moment of incarceration until release.Speakers
1.30pm – 2pm EDT
The Implementation of Good Lives Model in Daily Life and Rehabilitation of Offenders (PID001)
The Implementation of Good Lives Model in Daily Life and Rehabilitation of Offenders (PID001)
Workshop Session
The good lives model is the additional model to the Risk-Need-Responsivity model. It motivates residents to change their way of life and strive for desistance, by aiming for more well-being.Speakers
Preventing Aggression: Prevention Strategies and Training of Staff Members in High-security Forensic Psychiatry (PID191)
Development of a BelRAI Screener Detention for Correctional Facilities (PID031)
Development of a BelRAI Screener Detention for Correctional Facilities (PID031)
Workshop Session
Commissioned by the Belgian federal government, a BelRAI Screener for the detention context was developed. The aim of this comprehensive screening instrument is to collect all information necessary for care providers inside prison to decide whether a penitentiary care trajectory is needed. This includes physical, psychological and social care needs. The objective is the improvement of quality of care for people in custody.
The identification of the items of the instrument is based on (1) a scoping review, (2) four expert panels with in total 10 experts from the field, and (3) examination of the interRAI assessment system to select interRAI-items that map the care needs that resulted from the scoping review and expert panels.
The identification of the items of the instrument is based on (1) a scoping review, (2) four expert panels with in total 10 experts from the field, and (3) examination of the interRAI assessment system to select interRAI-items that map the care needs that resulted from the scoping review and expert panels.
The BelRAI Screener Detention includes four sections: (1) medical past/history, (2) physical health, (3) mental health indicators and behaviours, and (4) social care needs. The BelRAI Screener Detention will be completed by care providers based on information they get from the person in custody and prison staff. The psychometric properties, and the suitability, feasibility and acceptability of the BelRAI Screener Detention will be tested in three Belgian prisons.
Introducing a comprehensive screening instrument to complete for every person that enters prison, is necessary at one side to improve quality of care, and therefore human rights of persons in custody. At the other side, shortage of staff and constrained budgets might challenge the feasibility and acceptability of the instrument once the implementation in correctional facilities begins.
Speakers
Dr. Kathleen De Cuyper
Dr. Inge Jeandarme
Prison Foodways in Oudenaarde (PID061)
Prison Foodways in Oudenaarde (PID061)
Workshop Session
Poor quality prison food is often experienced by incarcerated eaters as part of an inhumane treatment with far reaching consequences for their psychological and physical health. Consequently, scholarship has shown how prison foodways can be experienced as a punitive and intrusive form of control over the imprisoned person’s body. However, prison foodways that align the physical, social and cultural needs of imprisoned persons, tend to have the opposite effect on their prison experiences.
Therefore, Oudenaarde prison introduced a program in which some imprisoned persons order and receive their cooking ingredients as well as the cooking facilities to prepare their own meals.
In this workshop, we inform the audience about the way in which this approach to food preparation and consumption can be considered as a powerful tool to increase feelings of autonomy, respect, self-care, tastes and memories of home, and connections with others through commensality. We will invite a variety of speakers to inform us about this program and their experiences. The speakers are: an imprisoned person who participates in the project, a prison governor involved in the program and an academic.
Speakers
The Practice and Promise of Peer Programs in Prison (PID045)
The Practice and Promise of Peer Programs in Prison (PID045)
Workshop Session
Peer programs are an established part of prison life in several countries (e.g. UK, USA), while in other countries like Belgium the implementation of such programs is more recent and still in an experimental phase. Peer programs encompass programs in which incarcerated people are trained to educate, tutor, or otherwise support their fellow incarcerated persons. However, a fundamental understanding of how, why, for whom, and under which circumstances peer programs are effective remains an untapped vein of exploration.
Through the perspective of realist methodology, we reviewed 29 international articles and reports on peer programs in prison to gain insight into its’ outcomes, the underlying mechanisms and the conditions under which such programs are likely to be effective. Peer programs have potential benefits for peer workers (e.g. desistance, improved knowledge/skills), peer recipients (e.g. desistance, improved mental health), and prisons (e.g. improved atmosphere, fewer institutional infractions). The success of peer programs is contingent on a number of factors on micro-level (i.e. motivation of peer workers, recruitment requirements), exo-level (i.e. institutional prison profile, training/hands-on experiences of peer workers, institutional buy-in), and macro-level (i.e. government support, resources). Moreover, we identified different underlying mechanisms to optimize the effectiveness of peer programs, such as supporting peer workers, or developing human relationships based on trust and equality. The incorporation of a realist science perspective to unravel the outcomes of peer programs in prison, as well as the underlying contextual factors and mechanisms, provides valuable insights for practitioners and policy makers in designing and implementing effective programs.
Speakers
Dorien Brosens
2pm – 2.30pm EDT
Cooperation as an Answer to the Complexity of Reintegration of Prisoners (PID119)
Dynamic Security – Yes, We Can! A Lithuanian – Norwegian Partnership to Improve Quality of Lithuanian Prison Service (PID114)
Dynamic Security – Yes, We Can! A Lithuanian – Norwegian Partnership to Improve Quality of Lithuanian Prison Service (PID114)
Workshop Session
Lithuanian Prison Service has recently adapted their legal acts and regulations to include Dynamic security as a working method. Norwegian Correctional Service has used Dynamic security as an integral part of the Security concept since the 1990s. Lithuanian Correctional service has over the last years adapted several measures of Dynamic Security to fit into a Lithuanian context. What is working best? What are the most successfull measures? What is not possible to implement due to different structural constraints? What measures are costly and what measures are not that expensive? What kind of cultural change do we see?
In this workshop we aim to show the process of including Dynamic Security into a holistic security concept that combines static, organisational and dynamic elements of Security. We will reflect on the necessary steps of making strategies, adapting legal acts and regulations. We will give expamples of the interactive training methodologies based on dialogue groups and share early outcomes and how this is being implemented in practise. We will show the audience examples of the results from Lithuania and we will show expamples from educational films and interact with the audience to reflect on what elements of Dynamic security you use in your daily work.
Speakers
Rokas Uscila
Ligita Valalyte
Community Based Health in Detention - A Model to Improve Health and Wellbeing for People Deprived of their Liberty (PID134)
Community Based Health in Detention - A Model to Improve Health and Wellbeing for People Deprived of their Liberty (PID134)
Workshop Session
This session will present an inmate/ex-mate Red Cross volunteer of both Ireland and Norway to give testament to the value of this peer health education programme.
This will be followed by a presentation by Irish Red Cross and Norwegian Red Cross about the Global Hub for Community Based Health in Detention that has been created in partnership with the ICRC and IFRC Geneva. The aim of this long-term global project is to improve the health, well-being and the minimum standards for detention of people deprived of their liberty.
Speakers
Caron McCaffrey
Jan-Erik Sandlie
Dr Graham Betts-Symonds
Carola Ruud
Violence Risk Screening in the Prison Setting: Improving Prison Safety and Reducing Violent Recidivism (PID079)
Violence Risk Screening in the Prison Setting: Improving Prison Safety and Reducing Violent Recidivism (PID079)
Workshop Session
Prison safety is a primary concern and within most prison settings there is a strong need for better insight regarding the violence risk of detainees. Gaining a better understanding of detainees’ potential for future violent behavior, may increase both the safety within the prison setting as well as the safety of society at large. Evaluating risk and protective factors for violence is vital for informing risk management strategies and planning individualized interventions. However, it is often not feasible to administer comprehensive violence risk assessment for all individuals due to staff shortages and limited time and resources. As a result, the potential for violence may remain unnoticed. In an attempt to make risk evaluations possible for all prisoners, a new risk-screening tool was developed in The Netherlands: The Risk Screener – Violence (RS-V). The aim of the RS-V is to create more insight regarding the most relevant risk and protective factors for each detainee and subsequently consider overall concerns for the specific individual regarding a) in-prison violence, b) post-release violence, and c) violence during leaves from prison. The RS-V can serve as triage for possible comprehensive risk assessment for those cases for whom serious concerns arise from the screening. It can also assist in placement considerations and decision-making regarding leaves or release. In this presentation, the RS-V will be introduced and explained, research findings regarding the user experiences and psychometric properties will be presented, and further implications, opportunities and challenges for other prison systems will be discussed.
Speakers
Marjam Smeekens
Dr. Michiel De Vries Robbé
Humane Corrections: A New Approach for Food in Prison (PID211)
Humane Corrections: A New Approach for Food in Prison (PID211)
Workshop Session
How the Dutch Custodial Institution Agency made humane corrections the core element in a new contract for food for prisoners.
A new contract – a new chance
In 2022, our contract for food in prisons expired. In the previous years, we reconsidered our approach to prison food. Since European procurement laws force our organisation to limit the length of our contracts, the companies have a possibility to apply to a public tender, in this case every eight years. This gives our organisation the possibility to improve our food service and correct mistakes made in the past.
In 2022, our contract for food in prisons expired. In the previous years, we reconsidered our approach to prison food. Since European procurement laws force our organisation to limit the length of our contracts, the companies have a possibility to apply to a public tender, in this case every eight years. This gives our organisation the possibility to improve our food service and correct mistakes made in the past.
In 2020, we started the public procurement process to contract three new suppliers for the contract period 2022-2030. Last year, we implemented this new contract. In this presentation we want to tell you how we changed our perspective on food in prison.
Speakers
Drs. Wolter van der Vlist
Drs. Marianne Vos
An-Sofie Vanhouche
Peer-led Intervention to Support Clients to Vacate Warrants Following Release from Prison: A Case Study from Canada (PID132)
Peer-led Intervention to Support Clients to Vacate Warrants Following Release from Prison: A Case Study from Canada (PID132)
Workshop Session
Peer-led interventions can play a critical role in supporting clients to navigate the criminal legal system, including the process of vacating warrants. Individuals who face having a warrant are at a higher risk of overdosing and increasing the barriers to access community services. The positive reception of this peer-led warrant program has led to increasing demands to provide this warrant program to the surrounding communities.Speakers
Mo Korchinski
Pam Young
2.30pm – 3pm EDT
Michigan Department of Corrections Vocational Village Overview (PID124)
Michigan Department of Corrections Vocational Village Overview (PID124)
Workshop Session
The goal of the criminal justice system is to hold individuals accountable while making the community safe. Incarceration has a near-term “incapacitation” impact, but there is no literature that shows that simply being incarcerated reduces the likelihood of future offenses after release.
The Michigan Departments of Correction’s Vocational Villages are a first of their kind that focus on offender success for long term public safety. This is accomplished by focusing on key components such as creating a “Village” within the prison to cohort groups until parole, eliminating the other distractions of prison, and developing soft skills throughout the participation in the Vocational Village Model. These soft skills include adjustments to work schedules, meeting expectations, interpersonal communication, and other life management skills.
All programs of the MDOC’s model result in state or nationally recognized credentials and involve the community by partnering with employers and supporting job retention post-release. Offenders are trained in multiple vocations including robotics, carpentry, 3D printing, and other career fields that are currently being sought by employers.
If you are interested in creating a positive learning environment that allows offenders to flourish while meeting the needs of a secure environment and promoting public safety for the long-term, then learning more about the Vocational Village model utilized in Michigan is what you are looking for.
Speakers
Heidi Washington
Safety Dilemmas in Prison Management: Findings from Research on Prison Violence in the Netherlands (PID087)
Safety Dilemmas in Prison Management: Findings from Research on Prison Violence in the Netherlands (PID087)
Workshop Session
Maintaining a safe environment for incarcerated individuals and staff is a core task of any prison service. Concerns about risk of continued criminal activity and violence pose challenges for prison management, especially because strict measures can be at odds with a humane approach to corrections.
This presentation will discuss (1) dilemmas related to risk and safety management, and (2) recommendations for policy and practice. The paper is part of a large and ongoing research project on ‘The Social Ecology of Prison Violence’ (2023-2027), which seeks to identify why violent prison incidents occur, how staff respond to them, and how they can be prevented.
This presentation is based on findings from the first stage of the research project, which consisted of semi-structured interviews with approx. 40 directors and deputy directors of nearly all Dutch correctional facilities. The interviews revealed the following paradoxes and dilemmas in prison management and crime prevention: (1) minimisation of risk during imprisonment is at the cost of activities and a prison climate that promote autonomy and re-integration; (2) it can be difficult to identify and distinguish offenders from victims, and sanction appropriately; (3) the concentration of high-risk individuals (as opposed to dispersal) increases and decreases risks.
Many complexities in safety management are related to contraband trading and continued criminal activity from prison. The presentation will discuss the dilemmas arising in Dutch prisons and situate them in an international context, with reference to relevant academic literature.
Speakers
Dr Esther van Ginneken
Triangle: An International Collaboration (Erasmus+) and Education Project in Prisons (PID010)
Triangle: An International Collaboration (Erasmus+) and Education Project in Prisons (PID010)
Workshop Session
An international collaboration (Erasmus+ project) where we try to make the digital world accessible in a secure manner by using a secure online learning platform.Speakers
Kristoff Hemelinckx
Aurelia Bijnens
The Risk Screener-Youth. A Novel Tool for Easy and Efficient Evaluation of Recidivism Risk in Juveniles and Young Adults (PID076)
The Risk Screener-Youth. A Novel Tool for Easy and Efficient Evaluation of Recidivism Risk in Juveniles and Young Adults (PID076)
Workshop Session
In order to make risk evaluation feasible for all individuals in forensic treatment and supervision settings for juveniles and young adults, a novel youth risk screening tool was developed for the easy and efficient screening of concerns about risk for violence and/or non-violent criminal behavior: the Risk Screener Youth (RS-Y). Both the professional rated version and the self-assessment version have recently been implemented across various settings in The Netherlands. In this presentation the RS-Y will be introduced and user experiences as well as promising research results with the tool will be shared. Moreover, the value of risk and protective factor based risk screening for the guidance of forensic treatment and risk management will be demonstrated. Finally, implementation strategies for prison, supervision and clinical practice will be highlighted and the potential use of the RS-Y in other settings and countries will be discussed.
Speakers
Dr. Michiel De Vries Robbé
Supporting Humane Corrections Through the Provision of Books, Libraries and Reading to People Deprived of Liberty (PID019)
Supporting Humane Corrections Through the Provision of Books, Libraries and Reading to People Deprived of Liberty (PID019)
Workshop Session
One powerful tool available to correctional facilities to affirm and protect the humanity of the people in their care are facility libraries and the books, reading and learning opportunities enabled through those libraries. Rule 64 of the ‘Nelson Mandela Rules’ states that every person deprived of liberty in our correctional institutions must have access to a well-stocked library and be encouraged to use it. This recognises the value of books, libraries and reading to people deprived of liberty.
In this presentation, the results of several research projects, each designed to explore and understand the role of books, libraries and reading in the lives of people deprived of liberty will be presented. The capacity for books, libraries and reading to support the humanity and dignity of persons deprived of liberty will be demonstrated across five domains: imagining a different future, maintaining and building connection with family and others, taking responsibility for the self, reducing institutionalisation, and keeping a foot in the outside world.
Although the provision of books, libraries and reading is mandated through the Mandela Rules, the practical requirements to do so are often challenging for correctional facilities. Examples of innovative practices, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region will be described to inform and inspire attendees. The presentation concludes with an introduction to the recently published International Library and Information Associations and Institutions Guidelines for Library Services to Prisoners, co-edited by the presenter, and written to support correctional institutions in their provision of library services to the people in their care.
Speakers
Dr Jane Garner
Providing Cell Phones and Peer Support is Effective at Engaging People After Release from Custody in to Hepatitis C Care (PID155)
Providing Cell Phones and Peer Support is Effective at Engaging People After Release from Custody in to Hepatitis C Care (PID155)
Workshop Session
For jails and other pretrial or remand correctional settings, short durations of stay in custody are often a barrier to providing effective healthcare and other supports to people who experience incarceration. In order to address this, connection to care and services upon release to the community is essential, however lack of stable housing and consistent contact number in the community makes this challenging. The 'Test Link Call' (TLC) project was founded in British Columbia, Canada, to address this, and provides a cell phone with a free 6 month plus linkage to a Peer Health Mentor to support individuals leaving provincial custody to connect with hepatitis C virus treatment and care in the community. The project leads will describe the model of care and outcomes from TLC project after the first 2 years of operation, as well as plans for current and future expansion to other chronic health conditions.
Speakers
Dr. Sofia Bartlett
Pam Young
3.30pm – 4.15pm EDT
Digital Transformation in Belgian Prisons: Improving the Daily Life of Inmates and Staff (PID011)
Digital Transformation in Belgian Prisons: Improving the Daily Life of Inmates and Staff (PID011)
Plenary Session
The digitization of Justice is a story of people. People who go to extremes to bring this project to fruition. Within Justice, the prison system is a world unto itself. Nonetheless, digital progress is pounding on the door. “Normalisation of detention”, “active citizenship of prisoners”, “working ‘through the gate’, these are all expressions increasingly heard within a rapidly changing penitentiary world.
A digital link between society and the institution makes it possible that detainees during their detention period adapt better to or stay connected with the digitalisation we all notice in everyday life.
Furthermore, guiding staff through the whole digitization process simply requires a different approach than the digital leap facing the administrative management of detention or the inmates.
Speakers
Kristoff Hemelinckx
Kris Lambert
4.15pm – 5pm EDT
The New Prison of Haren: A New Approach (PID046)
The New Prison of Haren: A New Approach (PID046)
Plenary Session
A presentation of the masterplan which lead to the conception of a new prison in Haren and an overview of the concepts, start up, difficulties and workings of the new prison in Haren (Belgium), a state of the art prison village focused on humane detention.Speakers
Henk Mortier
Jurgen Van Poecke
Thursday 26 October
Drawing on SPS’ own local research, GR principles underpin our intervention and general programmes for women inmates, as well as staff training and engagement skills, and the facilities and processes to best serve the needs of the women offenders to support their rehabilitation.
In the community, SPS recognizes the importance of a scaffolded post-release period, including for women offenders. The women are also connected with a network of community and social service agencies that help with reintegration needs such as employment, befriending services, finances, and accommodation.
In this workshop, Pam Bailey, co-founder of More Than Our Crimes (MTOC), a nonprofit dedicated to lifting up the voices of individuals incarcerated in U.S. federal prisons, will review what is known about the extent to which voting privileges are granted to and exercised by incarcerated individuals worldwide, then go in depth regarding the experience of Washington, D.C.
D.C. faces several unique challenges, including far-flung prisons and the cultural/socioeconomic profile of its prisoners: Most D.C. prisoners are African American and grew up in low-income, disenfranchised neighborhoods—communities that have historically low voter registration rates, an attitude they have carried into prison.
The method of Giving up Crime enables prisoners to take responsibility for their current and future life and, speed up the movement away from a life in crime. The giving up crime workbook helps detainees to actively engage in self-change by a personal reentry plan.
This method activates self restorative forces, reduces criminal motivation and has a positive impact on their motivation to change, skills and wellbeing.
While the detainee is working with the book, the support by others e.g. the mentoring practitioner/prison officer, volunteer or family member can be a valuable tool to reinforce positive changes.
Evaluation outcomes conclude that the method of Giving Up Crime is much appreciated by prisoners, reduces criminal motivation and increases success in the motivation for change. Other interesting effects: reduction in feelings of powerlessness when confronted with barriers, increases in self efficacy. Moreover, engaging prison officers in the delivery of the method contributes to a more supportive prison social climate.
The presentation will show how digital services, such as video conferencing and online educational resources, could be a powerful tool for promoting cultural freedoms in prisons. These technologies can connect Indigenous prisoners with elders, community leaders, and cultural resources that are otherwise difficult to access.
It highlights the importance of preserving cultural identity and technology’s role in promoting religious and cultural freedoms for Indigenous peoples in prison. By addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by Indigenous prisoners, digital services have the potential to facilitate positive change.
Aside from the efforts of SPS, an ecosystem of support in the community is critical to achieve desistance for ex-offenders. Hence, SPS works closely with Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) to raise employability, build public trust, and galvanise the community. The Yellow Ribbon Project (YRP) started in 2004 as a national public engagement campaign to change society’s mindset in giving ex-offenders a second chance in life and is anchored on 3As – raising Awareness, generating Acceptance, and inspiring community Action to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders for a more inclusive society. SPS and YRSG have sustained YRP efforts for about 20 years, and public perception surveys have shown improvements over the years in the community’s support for the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders.
Singapore has also seen its 2-year recidivism rate decrease and stabilise from around 40% in the early 2000s to about 20% in 2020. This plenary will share how the correctional approach of SPS has evolved over the years, its rehabilitation and reintegration efforts, as well as its collaboration with the whole-of-government, community partners, volunteers, employers, ex-offenders, and their families.
9am – 9.45am EDT
“Humanity is important in prison... it starts with staff”: Lessons Learned from a U.S. Culture Change Training Program (PID040)
“Humanity is important in prison... it starts with staff”: Lessons Learned from a U.S. Culture Change Training Program (PID040)
Plenary Session
This presentation will describe the impact of an introductory culture change training that introduces international best correctional practices (e.g. dynamic security, normalization) on knowledge, attitudes, and practice change intentions among prison staff from a U.S. state. Amend at UCSF is a public-health focused prison reform program that works with U.S. correctional agencies to transform prison environments by training staff to change practices and policies. Amend’s introductory trainings aim to establish foundational knowledge to advance staff-led change initiatives and link these changes to improving the health and well-being of prison staff and incarcerated individuals alike. This study presents a descriptive analysis of post-training surveys administered to staff at three prisons in a U.S. state who participated in an introductory training between April 2022 and April 2023.
Speakers
Kelsey Engstrom
Tom Eberhardt
9.45am – 10.30am EDT
Building Community Corrections Capacity: Learning from International Experience (PID210)
Building Community Corrections Capacity: Learning from International Experience (PID210)
Plenary Session
Focussed initially on five European countries which have introduced, expanded or greatly strengthened community-based services since the millennium, research respondents have included service leaders, judicial and community stakeholders, politicians, donor and supra-national organisations, and consultants involved in policy exchange/capacity building. Initial enquiry was supplemented by extensive literature review and insights from the presenters’ broad experience of capacity building in other European jurisdictions and globally.Speakers
Steve Pitts
Leo Tigges
11am – 11.30am EDT
“What else matters…for all of us?” Integrating Relational and Restorative Practices in Corrections by Singapore Prison Service (PID142)
“What else matters…for all of us?” Integrating Relational and Restorative Practices in Corrections by Singapore Prison Service (PID142)
Workshop Session
This presentation will provide an overview of Singapore Prison Service (SPS)’s journey in the integration of Restorative Practices (RP) in offender rehabilitation and reintegration. The goals of RP are to build and strengthen relationships, heal fractured relationships, prevent, and repair harm.Speakers
Troy Jack Thevathasan
Singapore’s Gender Responsive Interventions for Women Offenders (PID141)
Singapore’s Gender Responsive Interventions for Women Offenders (PID141)
Workshop Session
This presentation will share on Singapore Prison Service’s (SPS) evidence-informed ‘Gender-Responsive’ (GR) approach in the rehabilitation and reintegration of women offenders. Our values of Empathy, Mutuality, Affirmation, Responsibility, and Independence (EMARI) and GR principles of being strength-based, trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and relational form the basis of the evolution of the women’s wing to what it is today, not just a replica of the men’s regime.
Drawing on SPS’ own local research, GR principles underpin our intervention and general programmes for women inmates, as well as staff training and engagement skills, and the facilities and processes to best serve the needs of the women offenders to support their rehabilitation.
The desistance literature points to the importance of bonding as a social capital for the desistance process, of which, the family is a key source. For women with children, initiatives that we have implemented help to foster a prosocial identity through maintaining the connection between mother and child.
In the community, SPS recognizes the importance of a scaffolded post-release period, including for women offenders. The women are also connected with a network of community and social service agencies that help with reintegration needs such as employment, befriending services, finances, and accommodation.
Speakers
Ee Lin Foo
You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup: Implementing Peer Support Teams to Improve Corrections Worker Health (PID092)
You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup: Implementing Peer Support Teams to Improve Corrections Worker Health (PID092)
Workshop Session
This presentation will review a large multi-site implementation of correctional worker peer support teams with goals of improving staff wellness, creating a culture of mental health awareness and help seeking, and improving staff retention. We will discuss policy and training considerations, as well as the rationale for investing in peer support teams as a foundation to ensuring humane correctional systems. We will review early outcomes associated with this work and provide examples of how the peer support teams have assisted their colleagues in times of crisis, as well as their efforts to reduce the likelihood that a situation will progress to a crisis stage.Speakers
Dr. Lisa Peterson
Cathryn Lokey
The Role of Agency/Facility Culture in Reducing the Use of Isolation in Secure Juvenile Facilities (PID053)
The Role of Agency/Facility Culture in Reducing the Use of Isolation in Secure Juvenile Facilities (PID053)
Workshop Session
This presentation aims to help participants:- Understand the influence that facility culture has on the use of isolation and staff retention;
- Understand research-based characteristics of highly successful organizations;
- Provide a strategic framework for reducing the use of isolation;
- Provide an effective framework for improving facility culture – Positive Human Development;
- Understand key elements to effectively shifting agency/facility culture.
Speakers
Sharon Pette
Civic Engagement Behind Bars: Voting and Voice (PID178)
Civic Engagement Behind Bars: Voting and Voice (PID178)
Workshop Session
A number of countries allow voting in elections among at least some incarcerated individuals. But what are the benefits of doing so? To what degree do prisoners actually participate? What tactics work to overcome institutional obstacles, motivate prisoners to engage, and educate them sufficiently to make informed decisions? And beyond that, how do you bring their voices and opinions out of prison to the officials they now help elect?
In this workshop, Pam Bailey, co-founder of More Than Our Crimes (MTOC), a nonprofit dedicated to lifting up the voices of individuals incarcerated in U.S. federal prisons, will review what is known about the extent to which voting privileges are granted to and exercised by incarcerated individuals worldwide, then go in depth regarding the experience of Washington, D.C.
D.C. faces several unique challenges, including far-flung prisons and the cultural/socioeconomic profile of its prisoners: Most D.C. prisoners are African American and grew up in low-income, disenfranchised neighborhoods—communities that have historically low voter registration rates, an attitude they have carried into prison.
Pam will describe the coalition her organization formed, their efforts to get the Bureau of Prisons to cooperate, and their work to both educate and motivate individuals behind bars to take advantage of this right of citizenship. Finally, she will describe the results achieved in the first round (2022) and the lessons learned.
Speakers
Pamela Bailey
11.30am – 12pm EDT
Restorative Action Planning(C): Teaching Staff & Offenders How to R.A.P. (PID107)
Restorative Action Planning(C): Teaching Staff & Offenders How to R.A.P. (PID107)
Workshop Session
Participants in this session will be provided general overview and conceptual understanding of the Restorative Action Planning process and how best to incorporate the tenets into ongoing or proposed programming efforts within their agencies. The session will provide interactive examples as well as open forum discussion of the potential affects of implementing a program that focuses on offender actions and their impact on on those they have victimized. Session participants will be able to view examples of how pro-social scripts and positive actions from offenders with their victim(s) more effectively restore the damaged ties to their victim(s) and the affected communities. The product of such interactions potentially decreasing recidivism, improving victim safety and participation in justice, and positive increasing overall community efficacy on offender reintegration.Speakers
Richard I. Robinson
Correction Officer Stories - The Hidden Voice (PID080)
Correction Officer Stories - The Hidden Voice (PID080)
Workshop Session
In this presentation, I will be sharing the stories of six ex correction officers I interviewed about their experiences of working within a prison system. The aim is to draw attention to the psychological complexity of correction officer work and the significant impact on many officers of the continual exposure to traumatic incidents that occur within in the prison. The interviews reflect the depth of wisdom and knowledge officers have about the system yet also the immense challenges they face in maintaining their mental health well being often in the face of a harsh prison culture. In Australia, correction officers are not in a position to talk publicly about their work which has, inadvertently meant their 'voice' in the many discussion around Justice Reform, prisoner rehabilitation and so on is simply invisible. These interviews in a small way will make the correction officer 'voice' that little more visible!Speakers
Bruce Perham
Study on Deaths in Chilean Prisons from January 2019 to December 2022. Panorama, Diagnosis and Proposals (PID160)
Study on Deaths in Chilean Prisons from January 2019 to December 2022. Panorama, Diagnosis and Proposals (PID160)
Workshop Session
The existence of death figures in prisons is crucial to adopt serious, timely and effective public policies. This study seeks to demonstrate the national reality and provide solutions to current problems. To achieve our objective, we studied the figures between January 2019 and December 2022, covering all the prisons in Chile.
Our main source of information is the Chilean Gendarmerie, the institution in charge of the custody and reinsertion of persons deprived of liberty due to pretrial detention or conviction. But it was necessary to resort to other sources in order to demonstrate the Chilean reality and the shortcomings that exist when determining why people die in prisons and what is done about it.
In order to facilitate the reading of the information collected, we compiled statistics considering the sex, age, nationality, cause of death and the place where the persons deprived of liberty were located at the time of death.
We also dedicate a chapter to explain how the issue of deaths in prisons in different parts of the planet is covered.
Speakers
Francisco Molina Jerez
The Management of People Serving Life Sentences in Ireland: A Human Rights-based Strategy from Committal to Release (PID047)
Humanity in Action: Revolutionising Criminal Justice Through a Whole Systems Approach (PID170)
Humanity in Action: Revolutionising Criminal Justice Through a Whole Systems Approach (PID170)
Workshop Session
Against the backdrop of COVID recovery, this workshop will examine how a focus on humanity, connection, belonging and trust will repair prison communities and extend to local communities. It will outline the Growth methodology, a new emerging theory that was derived from examining exceptional penal practice. This methodology focuses on co-producing sustainable solutions within the Criminal Justice System and is integrated with Lewis’s dynamic model of therapeutic correctional relationships, to magnify the meaning and strength of practice.
This workshop will present the Growth methodology and principles of Growth, outlining through digital work the ambitions for the future and the impact of this work so far. It will then focus heavily on the professional challenges the delegates are facing, providing collective support, and creating a space to learn from one another. It will not only focus on those who have offended but consider the people who experience carceral spaces (including staff, leaders, and families).
This workshop will share what is being done to drive a Growth revolution in the UK and the ambitions for the future, to make a global impact, with collective social value at the heart of this cultural change initiative.
Speakers
Dr. Sarah Lewis
12pm – 12.30pm EDT
Giving up Crime: Empowering the Prisoner as Owner of the Change Process (PID147)
Giving up Crime: Empowering the Prisoner as Owner of the Change Process (PID147)
Workshop Session
“At the end of the day you rehabilitate yourself” is a truism that is frequently expressed by successful desisters. Current interventions tend to underestimate the importance of addressing self-restorative forces in the desistance process. The key to successful desistance is helping offenders to discover and value their own human agency as an important vehicle to achieve lasting change even under difficult circumstances.
The method of Giving up Crime enables prisoners to take responsibility for their current and future life and, speed up the movement away from a life in crime. The giving up crime workbook helps detainees to actively engage in self-change by a personal reentry plan.
This method activates self restorative forces, reduces criminal motivation and has a positive impact on their motivation to change, skills and wellbeing.
While the detainee is working with the book, the support by others e.g. the mentoring practitioner/prison officer, volunteer or family member can be a valuable tool to reinforce positive changes.
Evaluation outcomes conclude that the method of Giving Up Crime is much appreciated by prisoners, reduces criminal motivation and increases success in the motivation for change. Other interesting effects: reduction in feelings of powerlessness when confronted with barriers, increases in self efficacy. Moreover, engaging prison officers in the delivery of the method contributes to a more supportive prison social climate.
Speakers
Dr. Peter Nelissen
Born Out of the ICPA 2022 Meeting: A Multisector Collaboration Addressing Needs of Honduran Women Deprived of Liberty (PID066)
Born Out of the ICPA 2022 Meeting: A Multisector Collaboration Addressing Needs of Honduran Women Deprived of Liberty (PID066)
Workshop Session
Advancing gender-based care within correctional systems, and throughout the community reintegration process is essential to meet the unique physical, mental, social, and economic needs of women deprived of liberty (WDL). This can be especially challenging in countries that have limited resources and a long history of patriarchal-based gender norms.
We will discuss how our multisector team has worked to survey the needs of Honduran WDL, and the strengths and needs of the systems that care for them. We will discuss the profile and needs of Honduran WDL, as well as the needs, strengths and priorities of the stakeholders that interact with them. We will discuss our process of developing, implementing, and evaluating work to meet the women’s legal and social reintegration needs with programming aimed at building their personal capacity as well as the capacity of the systems that serve them.
Speakers
Dr. Jack Turman
"Between the Blue and Green": Building Community Cohesion within a Correctional Centre (PID013)
"Between the Blue and Green": Building Community Cohesion within a Correctional Centre (PID013)
Workshop Session
The culture amongst correctional staff and incarcerated people within Australian prisons is generally based on adversity and tension. The role of the prison officer is primarily associated with ensuring safety and security within the prison. This acts as a counter-current against establishing a therapeutic space within the prison that encourages participation in rehabilitation. A balance between the two, whereby safety and security and offender rehabilitation are seen with equal significance, is difficult to achieve.
We argue that a two-pronged community cohesion program, titled ‘Between the Blue and Green’ can build better relationships between prison staff and incarcerated people. We propose a separate program for new recruits and existing prison staff to build mutual understanding and respect. Community cohesion requires all parties to participate, therefore, an education program that includes staff and incarcerated people should be undertaken.
We discuss a series of activities with which to educate new and current prison officers and people incarcerated alike, in the reality of their identity as a human and as a participant within this microcosm. The program methodology is designed to promote self-efficacy, equality, and collaboration. While the roles between prisoner officer and prisoner have firm boundaries, there are many aspects within the realms of common benefits which affect the sense of community and can be explored and experienced through sharing experiences and engaging in exercises.
Speakers
Dr Marietta Martinovic
Nicola Guthrie-Smith
Serious Injuries on Rikers Island: Improving Violence Prevention in New York City Jails (PID035)
Serious Injuries on Rikers Island: Improving Violence Prevention in New York City Jails (PID035)
Workshop Session
For decades, violence and unsafe conditions have plagued the New York City jails on Rikers Island, resulting in tens of thousands of serious injuries to people in custody. Despite the importance that injury data holds, the Department of Correction has long been troubled by poor accountability and indifference, which in turn has led to a significant underreporting of violence and serious injuries.Speakers
Bart Baily
1.30pm – 2pm EDT
Three Countries, Three Uniforms, Three Cultures, One Common Goal - To Improve Correctional Facilities (PID109)
Towards Freedom – Using Probationary Liberty Under Supervision to Reduce Reoffending and Enhance Desistance (PID112)
Towards Freedom – Using Probationary Liberty Under Supervision to Reduce Reoffending and Enhance Desistance (PID112)
Workshop Session
Probationary liberty under supervision (PLUS) is an alternative to the last six months of imprisonment and can be defined as a community correction. PLUS is part of the gradual release proceeding from prisons and is a humane correctional alternative for incarceration. It is cost-effective and at the same time recognising the needs, risks and human rights of people that have committed a crime. It invites professionals to interagency co-operation and to work together with the convicted person.
The research on experiences of persons that have served probationary liberty under supervision showed that the desistance theory is relevant, and it recognised all the reintegration and rehabilitation factors. Research findings indicated that agency, importance of social bonds, finding your place in the mist of change, and substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation are included in the execution of PLUS.
Speakers
Pia Andersson
The Benefits and Challenges of Prison Visits: Insights from a Large-scale Dutch Study on Prison Visitation (PID126)
The Benefits and Challenges of Prison Visits: Insights from a Large-scale Dutch Study on Prison Visitation (PID126)
Workshop Session
Prison visitation is an important aspect of humane correctional practice as it is one of the few opportunities presented to incarcerated individuals to facilitate meaningful social interaction and stay connected to the community while incarcerated. Moreover, prison systems worldwide have been encouraged to implement visits based on the belief that visits will help reduce reoffending. In this large-scale study using data from over 4,000 incarcerated individuals in Dutch prisons we explore who gets visited and which factors relate to why some individuals are (not) visited, as well as the consequences of these visits on behavior in prison and after release.Speakers
Dr. Maria Berghuis
Enhancing Human-centered Penitentiary System in Georgia (PID128)
Enhancing Human-centered Penitentiary System in Georgia (PID128)
Workshop Session
Innovative digital services: Digital Technology in the Georgian Penitentiary System has seen rapid development in the last few years: e-learning for prisoners, vocational online education, digital services within the penitentiary and much more. Digital higher education - the results of the study on the higher education of convicts, with the aim of measuring the effectiveness of the re-integration of inmates involved in higher education. This is one of the main directions that the system intentionally chose and is trying to integrate systematically into the system.
Sport Management Strategy - supporting a healthy lifestyle in PEs that can prevent various offending behaviors. Healthy lifestyle and sport management strategies aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles among prisoners.
Existing practice for staff professional development and motivational systems - which includes improvement of working conditions for the staff, providing the staff with financial or nonfinancial benefits, organizing capacity building and sport activities for the staff regularly.
Speakers
Nika Tskhvarashvili
1.30pm – 2.30pm EDT
Achieving Meaningful Human Rights Reforms in Corrections through External Prison Oversight (PID089)
Achieving Meaningful Human Rights Reforms in Corrections through External Prison Oversight (PID089)
Workshop Session
This Q&A panel is sponsored by the ICPA Network on External Prison Oversight and Human Rights and will be facilitated by Dr. Ivan Zinger (Correctional Investigator of Canada). Three panelists (Secretary General of the Association for the Prevention of Torture, Chief Inspector of Prisons for Ireland, and former Correctional Investigator of Canada) will discuss how oversight agencies can influence correctional practice and policies to better comply with domestic and international human rights obligations.Speakers
Dr. Ivan Zinger
Howard Sapers
Mark Kelly
Barbara Bernath
2pm – 2.30pm EDT
Moving from Blame to Accountability: Lessons from a State Correctional System (PID181)
Moving from Blame to Accountability: Lessons from a State Correctional System (PID181)
Workshop Session
When something goes wrong in a correctional agency, the typical response is to blame employees, make new policies, or give more training. But this doesn't make the system safer. Instead, it can make things worse because employees are afraid to speak up about what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again.
To truly make a correctional agency safer, we need to move away from a culture of blame and use a different approach that involves employees in safety efforts and looks at all the factors that contribute to problems. This approach, based on safety science, has been successful in other industries like aviation and healthcare.
The Montana Department of Corrections has adopted this approach and has seen initial positive results in system improvement, worker satisfaction, and retention. The safety science approach involves redesigning incident reviews to focus less on worker failure and more on systemic issues that contribute to problems. It also involves creating a culture of trust and transparency, where staff can share their concerns and ideas for improvement without fear of retribution.
In addition, the approach involves shifting the organization's response to high-profile events from blaming individuals to highlighting the complexity of correctional work. By using this approach, agencies can create a culture of safety that promotes accountability and continuous improvement, while improving outcomes for employees and the people they serve. This presentation will discuss the safety science approach and share data on the positive outcomes it has had in the Montana Department of Corrections.
Speakers
How Can Courtesy Stigma Explain the Visitation Experience of Prison Visitors? (PID093)
How Can Courtesy Stigma Explain the Visitation Experience of Prison Visitors? (PID093)
Workshop Session
Frequent visits to incarcerated individuals from family and friends can provide emotional support, encouragement, and a sense of connection to the outside world. These factors have been shown to reduce the likelihood of reoffending post-release.
Adjacently, courtesy stigma (CS) elaborates upon the experiences of subjugation visitors encounter when attending correctional facilities, as a residual effect of maintaining relationships with incarcerated people. Despite the benefits of prison visits, most incarcerated people are not visited. A possible explanation for this can be attributed to the negative experiences encountered by the prison visitors during their visit.
To understand visitors' propensity to visit, 21 prison visitors were interviewed about their visitation experiences and how these experiences impacted them. Using Sinkovics Pattern Matching Approach, data collected from the interviews are utilised to expand CS as a theoretical framework. Based on this, CS can be applied in correctional policy concerning prison visits to encourage visitation from outside visitors, thus eliciting factors that reduce reoffending.
Speakers
Tarmi A'Vard
"Smart Prison" in Hong Kong (PID016)
"Smart Prison" in Hong Kong (PID016)
Workshop Session
In a bid to cope with the volatile and complex circumstances of correctional work, the HKCSD has been sparing no effort to study strategies to enhance the custodial environment to persons in custody. In light of this, the HKCSD rolled out a “Smart Prison” system in 2018, humanizing correctional facilities and process innovation by applying manifold innovative technologies, reviewing conventional workflow and continuing to introduce smart elements into various institutions by seizing the opportunities of facility improvement works. It also aims at modernizing the operations of correctional facilities proactively with a view to enhancing the efficiency and security of custodial management.
The concept of “Smart Prison” mainly consists of four key elements, namely “Development of Smart Governance”, “Implementation of Process Innovation”, “Cultivating Knowledge-based Correctional Officers and Enhancing the Capacities of Rehabilitated Persons to Re-integrate into the Society” and “Application of Smart Prison Designs”. The aforementioned elements are comprehensive that they cover not only the “hardware”, for instance, the CCTV surveillance system embedded with real-time video analytic and facial recognition function and contactless technologies to monitor the vital signs of PICs with medical or nursing needs continuously, but also the “software” which “i-Hub” is set up for enhancing the knowledge of the correctional officers regarding the new technology.
With the aim of reducing the burdensome and labour-intensive daily work procedures of the staff, HKCSD will keep the ball rolling and enhance the operational efficiency of correctional institutions, thereby providing a humane, more secure and harmonious custodial environment for persons in custody.
Speakers
Ho-kei Toby Leung
Human Rights in Indian Prisons: Challenges and Changes in Policy, Procedures and Practices (PID185)
Human Rights in Indian Prisons: Challenges and Changes in Policy, Procedures and Practices (PID185)
Workshop Session
This presentation discusses the challenges of trying to implement Human Rights in the Indian custodial setting. While in India the law and procedures do exist to ensure that human dignity is maintained even while incarcerated. Yet, there are various gaps in implementation of procedures. The prison occupancy has been around 130%, since the last few years, the major problem of prison overcrowding, severely impacts various human rights, particularly dignity, privacy and health rights.
The workshop will reflect upon some of the landmark judgements given by the Apex Court related to prisoner’s rights and the implementation challenges, and some good practices. The presentation will focus on vulnerable categories of prisoners-women, unsentenced prisoners and the issue of access to justice. The implications of organisational changes and prison staff training are highlighted to show the process of change that has evolved over the last few decades.
Speakers
Dr. Upneet Lalli
2.30pm – 3pm EDT
Correctional Oversight in the United States (PID122)
Correctional Oversight in the United States (PID122)
Workshop Session
This will be an interactive panel with representatives of various prison oversight models in the United States. The panelists will explain their particular model and allow for comparison to the other models represented by the panel. There will be a focus on how their model helps advance human rights, as well as the benefits and hinderances their model may represent.Speakers
Together We Create Opportunities and Help People Reform (PID164)
Together We Create Opportunities and Help People Reform (PID164)
Workshop Session
The presentation will focus on the prison reform in Bulgaria and the transition from punitive policy and practices to more humane concept aiming to increase the capacity of inmates to change and to find new meaning in life.
The project "Enhancing the capacity of the prison staff, building a pilot prison facility, connected to a training center and improving the rehabilitation of prisoners" will be presented during the intervention. Special attention will be given to the partnership with the Directorate of Norwegian Correction Service and the role of the bilateral cooperation in creating new opportunities for exchange of knowledge and innovative solution in prison management.
Speakers
Nadya Radkovska
Alternatives to Imprisonment for Drug-using Offenders: Is There a Need for a Common EU Legal Framework? (PID027)
Alternatives to Imprisonment for Drug-using Offenders: Is There a Need for a Common EU Legal Framework? (PID027)
Workshop Session
Explore the need for a common EU legal framework for alternatives to imprisonment for drug-using offenders, this presentation will examine the advantages and disadvantages of a common legal framework. The presentation will analyze the current situation in different EU member states, discussing the types of programs available and their utilization, and the potential benefits and challenges of a common legal framework. The insights provided contribute to the ongoing discussion on the need for a common EU legal framework for alternatives to imprisonment for drug addicts. The main challenges will be related to the complexity of the issue, diversity of approaches across different EU member states, and the need for clarity and simplicity.
Attend this presentation to gain insights into the feasibility and potential impact of this approach, and learn about the challenges and solutions to implementing alternative sentencing approaches for drug-using offenders in the EU legal landscape.
Speakers
Pavlos Topalnakos PhD
Breaking the Cycle of Violence Through Social Integration (PID039)
Breaking the Cycle of Violence Through Social Integration (PID039)
Workshop Session
The purpose of this presentation will be to highlight the efforts made by the Quebec government to tackle rising events of violence in the city of Montreal through a new, specialized unit, the Équipe d’agents d’intégration sociale (Social Integration Unit - SIU). This unit was created by Le Sous-ministériat des Services correctionnels in June 2022. Beyond repression, this new specialized team is crucial in the fight against crime in Quebec and allows upstream intervention with people in situations of vulnerability or social breakdown, at risk of delinquency or of becoming anchored in a criminal lifestyle.
The SIU’s focus is to provide a social safety net by integrating a multilayered approach to assess and understand the individual’s underlying vulnerabilities and delinquency cycle. As a result, the SIU is involved upon the individual’s admission to prison and tailored assistance and accompaniment is offered to the inmate. This also facilitates and promotes continuity of services after the detention period.
Speakers
Talia Karamanoukian
Preserving Identity: The Role of Technology in Upholding Religious and Cultural Freedoms for Indigenous Peoples in Prison (PID002)
Preserving Identity: The Role of Technology in Upholding Religious and Cultural Freedoms for Indigenous Peoples in Prison (PID002)
Workshop Session
"Preserving Cultural Identity: The Role of Technology in Upholding Religious and Cultural Freedoms for Indigenous Peoples in Prison" examines the challenges Indigenous peoples face in prison who seek to maintain their cultural identity and religious beliefs. Despite numerous efforts to address this issue, Indigenous people remain over-represented in the prison system, making it difficult to access resources and support that align with their cultural and spiritual beliefs.
There is a long history of mistreatment towards Indigenous people, including the forced assimilation of their culture. One of the many ways this has manifested is in the prison system. Indigenous people comprise a disproportionately high percentage of the prison population and often face significant barriers to accessing culturally appropriate resources and support. In Canada, since at least 1984, a series of federal task forces have grappled with the problem of how to address these issues. This paper will explore how digital services could be a powerful tool for exercising Indigenous cultural freedoms and reducing over-representation.
The presentation will show how digital services, such as video conferencing and online educational resources, could be a powerful tool for promoting cultural freedoms in prisons. These technologies can connect Indigenous prisoners with elders, community leaders, and cultural resources that are otherwise difficult to access.
It highlights the importance of preserving cultural identity and technology’s role in promoting religious and cultural freedoms for Indigenous peoples in prison. By addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by Indigenous prisoners, digital services have the potential to facilitate positive change.
Speakers
Patricia O’Hagan MBE
Norwegian Correctional Service and Human Rights - Far From a Perfect Match: Examining Challenges and Opportunities (PID188)
Norwegian Correctional Service and Human Rights - Far From a Perfect Match: Examining Challenges and Opportunities (PID188)
Workshop Session
Norway is by many viewed as being in the forefront of correctional services development. The Scandinavian model has gained increased attention in the last decade. Annually we receive many visitors, including colleagues from correctional services around the world, researchers, policy-makers and students. While we firmly stand by our Scandinavian model, we now have to acknowledge that all is not well in “little Scandinavia”. During the last five years the correctional services have encountered increased scrutiny and criticism both from international and national human rights monitoring bodies as well as a number of cases litigated before the domestic courts. All of these have one thing in common, namely pointing in the direction of the fact that our policies, practices and regulatory frameworks are not in line with international human rights standards in several areas. Unlike many other countries, our shortcomings are not related to prison overcrowding or poor prison conditions, but rather to issues such as routine and indiscriminate application of control measures and use of solitary confinement and isolation. We are today in a situation with several lawsuits and demands for compensation from a high number of current and former inmates.Speakers
Jan-Erik Sandlie
Line Wilberg
3.30pm – 4pm EDT
European Prison Observatory (PID216)
European Prison Observatory (PID216)
Plenary Session
The European Prison Observatory (EPO), coordinated by Italian NGO Antigone and supported by the EU Criminal Justice Programme, analyzes and promotes prison system improvements in Europe. It advocates for international detention standards, collects data on prison conditions (e.g. overcrowding, healthcare, solitary confinement), and informs policymakers, civil society, and the public. EPO also champions alternatives to imprisonment and prisoners' rights. During the COVID-19 pandemic, EPO monitored its impact on European prisons, reported on prison authorities' measures, and highlighted prisoners' challenges, advocating for their rights. EPO complements independent inspection bodies, ensuring transparency, and promoting civil society monitoring. They've launched a campaign, "Prison Monitoring by Civil Society: A Document for European Institutions," to raise awareness and seek European institution support for independent prison monitoring, along with standards, guidelines, and mechanisms for acting on findings.Speakers
Alessio Scandurra
4pm – 4.30pm EDT
All Hands on Deck: Singapore Prison Service’s Correctional Approach (PID221)
All Hands on Deck: Singapore Prison Service’s Correctional Approach (PID221)
Plenary Session
This plenary sharing will cover Singapore's correctional approach of integrated "throughcare", where the change process begins in prison and continues even when the inmate returns to society. The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) adopts evidence-informed in-care programmes designed to address the inmates' criminogenic thinking and behaviour, build their pro-social support, enhance their employability, human and social capital to prevent re-offending and facilitate long-term desistance in the community. With tight resource constraints, SPS has widely leveraged the use of technology, digitalisation, research, community partnerships, and public communication through mainstream and social media to aid SPS in its work.
Aside from the efforts of SPS, an ecosystem of support in the community is critical to achieve desistance for ex-offenders. Hence, SPS works closely with Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) to raise employability, build public trust, and galvanise the community. The Yellow Ribbon Project (YRP) started in 2004 as a national public engagement campaign to change society’s mindset in giving ex-offenders a second chance in life and is anchored on 3As – raising Awareness, generating Acceptance, and inspiring community Action to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders for a more inclusive society. SPS and YRSG have sustained YRP efforts for about 20 years, and public perception surveys have shown improvements over the years in the community’s support for the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders.
Singapore has also seen its 2-year recidivism rate decrease and stabilise from around 40% in the early 2000s to about 20% in 2020. This plenary will share how the correctional approach of SPS has evolved over the years, its rehabilitation and reintegration efforts, as well as its collaboration with the whole-of-government, community partners, volunteers, employers, ex-offenders, and their families.
Speakers
Yong Lee Shie
