Description
The project main objective is to improve psychological practices and improve their quality by integrating new psychological techniques and building on the professional competencies of the psychologists employed by the organisation. Project implementation aims to achieve the following objectives: - Updating methodologies and instruments used, raising the skills of experts in the area of personnel selection and work with offenders with a view to fulfilling European standards and ensuring their needs are adequately met thereby e enhancing security in society; - Updating the procedures for diagnosing, resting, consulting and selecting at penitentiary institutions in line with the newly enacted Execution of Penalties and Detention in Custody Act, which aligns national law with European practices;
Summary of project results
Updating and renewing the psychological tools for working with persons deprived of their liberty and staff selection has been recognized by the PP as an effective answer to the current needs and a guarantee for secure professional psychological servicing of offenders and staff. The preparatory work included a study on the best European practices and exchange of experience with organizations with similar activities. Subsequently, a review, evaluation and analyses of the current needs for implementation of new psychodiagnostic tools in the process of staff selection has been carried out. 10 psychodiagnostic personnel selection toolkits has been purchased. The number of trained and certified psychologists from the PP and penitentiary facilities was 35. The project included also an analyses of the current needs for implementation of new psychodiagnostic tools for examination and work with special needs offenders, which preceded the purchase of the respective psychodiagnostic toolkits and the related training of PP`s staff In late 2015 the project was updated by adding and budgeting two activities. The first one was related to prevention of ethnic violence in Bulgarian prisons, promoting tolerance towards difference and Roma integration. PP`s employees have been trained in delivering the developed programme and it has been piloted among inmates. The second one was a knowledge exchange with the Norwegian Correctional Service related to prevention and management of suicidal behaviour and professional stress. A strategy and methodology for diagnostics and prevention of suicidal behaviour among inmates and prison staff has been elaborated and adopted. The project has contributed to an improvement of the quality of personnel selection and of the timely detection and registration of behavioral tendencies that present a risk in offenders.
Summary of bilateral results