New Perspective

Project facts

Project promoter:
Probacja Association(PL)
Project Number:
PL-ACTIVECITIZENS-REGIONAL-0122
Status:
Completed
Final project cost:
€108,414
Donor Project Partners:
Church City Mission in Drammen
Kongsberg and Honefoss Department; FRI child and family(NO)
Programme:

Description

The aim of the project is to prevent family violence, especially violence against children, and to correct dysfunctional behaviour in this area among persons with a criminal record. The project is addressed to people serving prison sentences, people in the process of readaptation after release from prison as well as their families. We want to reduce recidivism, increase social safety and break the vicious circle of intergenerational crime. Children whose parent is in prison are 3 times more likely to have mental health problems and exhibit more criminal behaviour as adults. Prison service data shows that in the Lesser Poland Province more than 5200 people a year leave penal institutions and 52% of these people return to them. Within the project we will conduct consultations with inmates, addiction therapy, workshops on raising parental competences and counteracting domestic violence. We will offer psychological help for children and adults. We will organize trainings and a scientific conference. Beneficiaries of the project are people who have been sentenced by court or are in the process of readaptation as well as their families and relatives. The recipients are also professionals working with these people and their families, e.g. social workers, family assistants, prison service, probation officers, policemen, judges. As a result of the project activities, we want to increase the sense of self-controlled behaviour among the direct beneficiaries. The project will also result in the improvement of social security by reducing the phenomenon of recidivism among perpetrators of violence. The project is implemented in cooperation with an organisation from Norway, which will support us in terms of content and will take part in 2 study visits.

Summary of project results

The New Perspective project aimed to prevent domestic violence, especially violence against children, and correct dysfunctional behaviors in this area among people with criminal records, including those serving prison sentences and those undergoing readaptation after release from prison, and their family members. The project aimed to reduce recidivism, increase the level of social safety, and break the vicious circle of intergenerational crime. The project was characterized by a comprehensive offer of activities and adaptation of implementation methods to the specific conditions of the selected group of recipients - the activities were carried out both in prisons and in free conditions.

1. Consultations for prisoners preparing for release and during the readaptation period after release. 2. Psychological assistance for children and adults and addiction and co-dependency therapy. 3. A program to improve parenting skills and counteract domestic violence, KONTAKT, for imprisoned parents and their families. 4. The Agreement program for perpetrators of violence serving a prison sentence. 577 hours of consultations were conducted for prisoners for 526 beneficiaries (165 women). Legal advice - 248.5 hours, with 53 beneficiaries (25 women) participating. 334 hours of psychological support for 24 children, including 9 girls. After engaging an additional psychologist, 48 new beneficiaries, including 26 girls, benefited from the assistance. 344 hours - Psychological consultations for adults - age range of clients from 20 to 55. 89 people, including 9 women, participated in the classes. 200 h psychological consultations for adults, attended by 39 people, including 2 women 40 h 2nd edition of workshops as part of the “Porozumienie” program. 200 hours of aggression replacement training, attended by 75 people. 272 ​​h - addiction therapy, attended by 59 beneficiaries, including 5 women 20h - 77 beneficiaries took part in the 2nd editions of the KONTAKT activity: 41 women. 26 children. 110 participants in the scientific conference. 12h 32 people (27 women) took part in the 2nd editions of training for PS employees. - Thanks to bilateral cooperation, 1600 copies of a booklet for children were printed, on how to cope with a parent''s stay in prison and how to talk about it. A project profile was created on Facebook. The reach of 30 published posts is 2279 people. The profile was visited 569 times. The most popular post was about the study visit of partners from Norway, which reached a record reach of 804 people. 700 leaflets describing the Association''s activities and 50 information posters were printed.

The implementation of the project contributed to raising the level of knowledge and social awareness in the field of social resocialization and readaptation, counteracting social exclusion and the role of specialists and the entire society in the process of supporting people affected by penitentiary isolation - both the convicts themselves, their families, children and the entire system of social relations. This was possible, among others, thanks to the organization of a scientific conference, training for specialists and promotion of ideas and activities as part of the implementation of the marketing strategy.
The direct beneficiaries were people deprived of liberty, convicted persons, members of their families - especially children and employees and two professional groups - officers of the Prison Service, as well as professional probation officers.

Summary of bilateral results

Thanks to cooperation with a partner from the Donor States, we managed to gain access to the practice of working with prisoners and their family members. These systemic solutions were presented not only in the area of ​​the NGO''s activity, but primarily to judges, probation officers and employees and officers of the Prison Service. The partner''s involvement also influenced the increase in the level of interest in the issues and proposals for the development of inter-institutional cooperation in the area of ​​our activity.

Information on the projects funded by the EEA and Norway Grants is provided by the Programme and Fund Operators in the Beneficiary States, who are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of this information.