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Description
The objective of the project is to improve the correctional services in Poland. The project focuses on establishing 5 pilot correctional complexes, training of staff, work experience and implementation of reintegration programmes and inter-institutional cooperation. The project is divided into three modules:
Module 1 - construction of 5 pilot correctional complexes, each consisting of a pilot prison/residential pavilion, a production hall and a half-way house for inmate rehabilitation. The prison pavilions will provide necessary infrastructure so that sentences can be served in humane conditions in line with CPT standards. Prisoners will have the possibility of working while serving the sentence. The investment will allow to streamline the principle of progression in punishment and seamless penal system. This should entail the convicted person’s stay in a penal institution followed by accommodation in a half-way house accompanied by a rehabilitation programme; engagement of personnel trained according to modernized training programmes; and close cooperation of the prison system with third parties implementing tasks in the justice chain area.
Module 2 - training of penitentiary staff responsible for conducting penitentiary programmes in accordance with the adopted innovative model. Training for prison staff will be proceeded by preparation of prison staff competence profiles, identification of competence gaps and preparation of curricula. They will receive practical training in the new prisons after completion of the training courses.
Module 3 - support of probation through the development of the risk/needs assessment system for estimating the risk of re-offending among inmates and through changes in criminal law, sanctioning the existence of such a risk/needs assessment tool. Training of staff will be provided. Moreover, training on the use of alternative sanctions will be provided for penitentiary judges, probation officers and prison service personnel.
Summary of project results
The project was directed at the implementation of innovative activities aimed at improving the penitentiary system in Poland allowing to reduce the level of recidivism. The scope of tasks assumed the implementation of three complementary modules allowing to achieve the assumed results. Module 1 assumed the construction and launch of 4 modern penitentiary complexes consisting of a residential pavilion, a production hall and a transitional house. The construction of production halls and the establishment of cooperation with entrepreneurs made it possible to employ people deprived of liberty after their vocational training. Module 2 involved raising the competence of Prison Service personnel within the framework of a modernized system of education and training, supporting the process of rehabilitation and readaptation of inmates. Direct activities to improve professional skills were implemented through specialized training courses prepared on the basis of the developed professional profiles of prison staff and identified competence gaps, with the assumption that the staff of the newly created pilot penitentiary complexes were trained first. Module 3 involved the development of the tool and its adaptation to the Polish legal system, as well as staff training to prepare for the use of the tool. The purpose of implementing the tool was to support representatives of the judiciary, probation service, prison service and law enforcement agencies on the possibility of assessing the risk of recidivism of persons serving prison sentences after leaving penitentiary units. In addition, educational activities aimed at the staff of justice institutions were carried out, which were aimed, among other things, at popularizing the use of alternative non-custodial punishments.
In the Katowice district, activities were implemented that assumed the establishment and commissioning of the pilot penitentiary complex “Jastrzębie-Zdrój” consisting of a modern complex with a production hall activities and a transition house . In the Poznań district, activities were implemented, which assumed the creation and commissioning of the pilot penitentiary complex “Koziegłowy” consisting of a modern penitentiary complex with a production hall and a transition house. In the Rzeszow district, activities were implemented, which included the establishment and commissioning of the pilot penitentiary complex “Chmielów” consisting of a modern penitentiary complex with a production hall, a transition house and a multipurpose building. In the Olsztyn district, activities were carried out, which included the establishment and commissioning of the pilot penitentiary complex “Kaminsk” consisting of a modern penitentiary complex at the Kaminsk Penitentiary Institution and a transition house at the Olsztyn Detention Center. The construction of production halls and the establishment of cooperation with entrepreneurs will allow the employment of persons deprived of liberty after their vocational training.
A system of cooperation between the prison staff of Poland and Norway was implemented for the effective implementation of the project objectives which resulted in a new model of cooperation, i.e. the “Ambassadors Program”, which was launched in 2023. The goal of the program was to make the Ambassadors, after being trained by Norwegian experts, become coaches, drivers of change. The task of each Ambassador was to act as a mentor for selected Polish Ambassadors, while also participating in training sessions involving a form of job shadowing in Norway, Poland, as well as in other countries to exchange knowledge and experience. The Norwegian Ambassadors prepared and gave presentations on the main principles of the Norwegian prison system and their daily work.
Mediation activities included mediation duty and mediation with inmates carried out in penitentiary units located in all district inspectorates of the Prison Service. The key idea was to support and develop the system of assistance for people harmed by crime and the effective readaptation of convicts, as well as to increase the number of experts in criminal mediation, including mediation conducted in prison isolation. 974 convicts were trained under the “Post-Conviction Mediation” rehabilitation program. Twenty-two mediation rooms were established in penitentiary units.
Within the framework of Module 2, descriptions of the basic professional roles of Prison Service personnel were developed, a diagnosis of resources and competency gaps was made with updates in subsequent years of the project. Implementation of the task was possible due to the preparation of a description of the professional role of Prison Service personnel taking into account the current state, conducting surveys and conducting case studies. The following 14 professional profiles of SW personnel were described. It was also necessary to provide a description of the professional role of Prison Service personnel taking into account the planned state of the dynamic protection requirements. Taking into account the bilateral aspect of the Project, a monograph was prepared and published taking into account the results of the research conducted in Norway. The experience gathered allowed the development of a competency model and its formative monitoring.
A modern model for the education and improvement of SW personnel was developed, progress monitoring. Implementation of the task was possible due to the development of an educational model complementary to the prepared competency model, the development of a complementary model for the improvement of Prison Service personnel in terms of the educational gap (taking into account the dynamic and strategic approach). A network for support and development of the Prison Service analysis methodology was established. An e-learning platform was created. In addition, textbooks, study materials, monographs and methodological materials necessary for the education and improvement of Prison Service personnel were developed and disseminated. The university''s teaching capacity was increased. As part of the task, a digital library was created and 1,089 volumes were digitized.
In-service training in key soft and specialized competencies was organized and conducted, correcting the diagnosed competency gap. As part of the task, Prison Service training courses were organized in the area of diagnosed competence gaps: a course for officers working in the position of monitor, 2 editions of the training series: “Safe CS Officer” .In addition, 3 editions of postgraduate studies in human resource management for Prison Service management and postgraduate studies in penitentiary science were organized. Four editions of an English language course were also conducted.
Bilateral cooperation included internship visits to Norway and Romania, with 188 participants, participation in the Ambassador Program, including training courses in Poland, Norway and Belgium, speeches by the Norwegian partner at organized training courses and conferences, visits by the Norwegian partner to Poland, curriculum consultations.
In the course of the project, a team of specialists responsible for developing the risk estimation tool was established. As a result of research and consultations with representatives of foreign prison services (including primarily the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Norwegian Project Partner), it was decided to develop Poland''s own PSOR-PL In the constructed tool, in addition to the analysis of inmate deficits, a diagnosis of resources was also included. The developed tool was implemented into the Central Database of Persons Deprived of Liberty and, as of April 2, 2024, constitutes a new penitentiary model for estimating the risk of recidivism. The plus side of the tool is its digitization, facilitating not only the archiving and availability of results, but also the comparison of results on the same convicted person over the long term. A strength of the tool is the objectivization of the assessment process through the introduction of an assessment team (composed of three independent people) as well as the separation of a static and dynamic module, the former of which is completed automatically to some extent. Such automation definitely shortens the assessment time as well as additionally contributes to the objectivization of the entire assessment (unification of the recidivism risk assessment procedure in all penitentiary units in the country).The purpose of implementing the tool is not only to support representatives of the Prison Service in forecasting a convict''s behavior, but also, at a later stage, to support representatives of the judiciary, in particular the judiciary, probation service and law enforcement agencies. Diagnosis of deficits and resources, and, consequently, the overall assessment of the risk of recidivism of a convict, will allow in the prison system to improve decision-making processes in the adoption of an appropriate correctional program for a person deprived of liberty to ensure the minimization of the likelihood of recidivism. The analysis of the risk of recidivism will be helpful in making decisions on granting conditional early release, as well as facilitate the performance of supervision by representatives of the probation system.Following the completion of the pilot, and the implementation of the PSORR-PL recidivism risk estimation tool into the Central Database of Persons Deprived of Liberty, training of penitentiary staff in the use of the tool was conducted. Prison staff of all penitentiary units in Poland were trained, as well as probation officers and penitentiary judges. A manual for the risk estimation tool PSORR-PL was developed.
Advantages and benefits of using the PSORR-PL tool:
- ease of making a psychological diagnosis;
- speed and trouble-free operation of the new system;
- unification of the procedure for assessing the risk of recidivism in all units in the country,
- limiting the possibility of creating opinions of poor quality, since the tested system does not allow copying of previously created documents;
- the involvement of three people in recidivism risk forecasting may be associated with an increase in objectivity relative to the third-generation system;
- greater information transparency, associated with the replacement of extensive descriptions with a series of closed questions with a pre-categorized cafeteria;
- a significant reduction in work time.
In order to effectively prepare judicial personnel to carry out official tasks in particular in the area of application and implementation of alternative non-consensual punishments - with the participation of foreign partners (EPTA), persons employed as judges, probation officers, as well as those serving or employed in the Prison Service were trained. The purpose of the training was to disseminate knowledge among public officials involved in the so-called “chain of justice” and to encourage the wider use of alternative - non-isolation punishments within the Polish justice system.
Four modern penitentiary complexes have been built and put into operation, with three consisting of a residential pavilion, a production hall and a transition house while one complex consists of a residential pavilion and a transition house. The construction of production halls and the establishment of cooperation with entrepreneurs will allow the employment of persons deprived of liberty after their vocational training. The process of increasing the competence of prison staff initiated under the project will allow a broader view of the phenomena accompanying the pathology of crime, including the effects of solitary confinement and , “prisonization” of convicts. Mediation activities will contribute to reducing recidivism and improving the situation of those who have been victimized by crime, and mediation duty and mediation with inmates carried out in penitentiary units located in all district inspectorates of the Prison Service were tools to support this goal. A key objective was to support and develop the system of assistance for people harmed by crime and the effective readaptation of convicts, as well as to increase the number of experts in criminal mediation, including mediation conducted in prison isolation. A system of cooperation between the training staff of Poland and Norway for the effective implementation of project objectives was implemented. A tool for analyzing the risk of recidivism was developed and staff were trained in this area. Such a tool is the first formal instrument for estimating the risk of recidivism in the Polish legal system. Planned educational activities were carried out, targeted at the staff of justice institutions, which were aimed, among other things, at popularizing the use of alternative non-custodial punishments.
Summary of bilateral results
The scope of bilateral cooperation was defined on the basis of numerous discussions held between the partners at the project preparation stage and included: internship visits to Norway and Romania attended by 188 people, participation in the Ambassadors Programme (including training in Poland, Norway and Belgium), presentations by the Norwegian partner during training and conferences organised by the Academy of Justice, visits by the Norwegian partner to Poland, and curriculum consultations. A total of 72 people took part in the online seminars, while 116 people took part in study and internship visits.