Enhancing Prisoner Reintegration: Lessons from EQUAL-RESET Project

1. Reorganising the reintegration of prisoners into society: lessons from a research-driven practise development project (2DA0011)Claude HaasSenior lecturer, UR INSIDEUniversity of Luxemburg 2010 Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development: The Agenda10th – 14th June, 2010Hong Kong, China

2. Givenich Penitentiary Center (CPG) • Semi-open prison • Maximum capacity of 104 inmates (individual cells) • Population composed of male adult offenders • No specific admission criteria concerning length of sentence, types and gravity of crimes committed • Services comprise several workshops, a psycho-social department, an educational department

3. The EQUAL-RESET project • RESET stands for “Réinsertion Economique et Sociale par l’Education et le Travail” (Economic and social reintegration of prisoners through education and work) • Main project focus: Achievement of the recommendations made by the European Council concerning penitentiary work (R (75) 25) and prison education (R (89) 12). • 6 core partners: Givenich Penitentiary Center, Ministry of Education, National Agency of Employment, Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Agriculture, Chamber of Trades, University of Luxemburg

4. Main project phases • Project development and submission (2004-2005) • Need assessment and literature revue (2005-2006) • Concept redesign and programme development (2006-2008) • Concept and programme implementation (2007-2009) • Troubleshooting evaluation and concept readjustment (2008-2009)

5. Need assessment Interviews were conducted with both prisoners (52/77) and staff (23/46). • Interview-questionnaire with prisoners focused on family and social background, educational background, working experience, health conditions as well as perceived problems of reintegration, expectations and suggestions regarding services provided by the prison • Interviews with staff concerned problems encountered by prisoners regarding their reintegration into society, professional activities, participation in decision making processes, needs and expectations of the staff regarding their mission/role, expectations and suggestions towards EQUAL-RESET project

6. Collected data revealed the existence of a heterogeneous population regarding… • type and gravity of committed crime (drug traffic, robbery, sexual violence etc.) • sentence length (from several weeks to several years) and multiple needs in multiple domains like… • education → average educational level situated around 10 years (with no diploma) • work → instability of working biography with an average number of employers situated around 10 • health → high proportion of drug addiction problems (1/2) and mental health problems (1/3)

7. A prison population with clear expectations towards prison administration and staff… • Individualisation and continuity of support • Acceleration of administrative procedures • Better communication and cooperation between services and staff • Transparency of decision making processes • Valorisation of efforts and autonomy

8. Expectations which were widely shared by the staff… • Develop a common conceptual framework • Better coherence in the organisation of activities • Rethink organisation and collaboration between services • Clarify the functions/roles of the different categories of professionals • Accelerate administrative procedures • Adapt reintegration activities to length of sentence • Facilitate access to a larger variety of programme activities • Establish sustainable cooperation networks with the outside concerning work, housing etc.

9. Conceptual framework: theorical background • Continuity of accompaniment/care (Partridge, Kemshell...) • Engagement theory (Beauvois, Joule...) • Motivational interviewing (Miller, Rollnick...) • Need (Andrews, Bonta...) and strenght based approach (Ward...)

10. Conceptual framework: structural components End-to-end case management 5 programmes + Life skills Employability and work Health and drug abuse Education and training Psycho-criminological treatment

11. Case management principles • Need, resources and demand centred assessment • Personalisation of accompaniment • Transparency of decision making processes • Continuous assessment of goal achievement • Coproduction and participation of prisoners

12. Programmes constructed around 3 axis • Axis 1: Free access to all prisoners (sport, pedagogical activities…) • Axis 2: Access reserved in priority to certain groups of prisoners (with no work experience, a very low level of education…) • Axis 3: Not directly aimed at prison population, but at cooperation and networking with companies and institutions outside prison in order to facilitate access (employers, educational institutions, social services…)

13. Re-assessment et ajustement du projet d’insertion Entretien de transfert Programmes d’accompagn-ement Assessment multidimensionnel et multiprofessionnel des ressources et besoins Synthèse de l’assessment etélaboration de projet Contractualisation Admission Présentation services et programmes Situation sociale PEE • Case manager : • - Projet d’insertion • Plan de traitement pénologique PEF Employabilité • Case manager : • - Présentation du dispositif • - Screening psycho-pathologique • - Screening psycho-criminologique Convention d’accompagn-ement Compétences de vie PCV Compétences scolaires PPC Situation psycho-criminologique (CM) Partenaires externes : SCAS,… En cas d’indication Situation toxicomaniaque • Exécution de la peine Case manager • Agent de probation

14. Some lessons learned from 4 years of experimentation • End-to-end case management as a condition to prevent fragmentation of service delivery, stimulate and enhance motivation as well as consolidate learning • Networking with organisations outside prison to create new opportunities, reduce stigmatisation and facilitate transition • Qualification of staff and process documentation as a condition to ensure program integrity • Transparency and participation as a means of confidence building and programme participation