Speakers
Harry Lefferts
Workshop Session
In 2022, The Council for the Administration of Criminal Justice and Protection of Juveniles - an independent body established by law in the Netherlands – published a report urging the restraint in the use of isolation in Dutch prisons. In response, the Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency asked dr. Sharon Shalev to conduct research on the practices of isolation in Dutch prisons. Taking the recommendations from research and national advisory boards, the Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency has formulated a new vision on isolation, which incorporates the Mandela Rules. In this presentation, Harry Lefferts, prison director of the prison in Ter Apel (NL), will present his perspective on the new vision on isolation and shares his experiences of this new application of the practice of isolation of prisoners. The first experiences with this way of shaping time in isolation for prisoners are positive; the time spent in isolation now contributes to the process of stimulating a positive shift in a prisoner’s behaviour and mindset, with the ultimate goal of establishing a safe prison climate for prisoners and staff.
