When Care Takes it Over: Detainees Growing Older in Dignity

ICPA2023 Presentation by Sofie Vantomme and Serge Rooman (ICPA2023-PID217)

Authors

Sofie Vantomme

Prison Governor, DG EPI, Belgium

I started as a restorative justice counceller in the prison of Ypres. After a year, I became a prison warden, as I still am for the last 10 years in Bruges prison. As warden of a department for 375 long sentenced male prisoners, I have installed 4 drugfree open door sections, a section for detainees suffering from mental problems and this year we opened a new department where 10 detainees from the age of 55 and more are living together in an open door environment as a unit.

Serge Rooman

Prison Governor, DG EPI, Belgium

I started as a prison officer in the prison of Antwerp with de explicit task of organizing socio-cultural activities. After tree years, I became prison warden in the prison of Merksplas. There I got preoccupied with inmates who suffered from mental illness. After 10 years, I was sent to the open prison of Hoogstraten as principal warden. Again, after 2 years, I worked 7 years at the training academy for prison staff to end up back again in de prison of Merksplas as principial warden.

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