Young people with a criminal history are generally among the discriminated groups of the population, facing difficulties in entering the job market and often belonging to the most socially vulnerable groups. With the project Inclusive Approach to Social Rehabilitation and Education for Inmates, part of the ReEdu programme, the project partners aimed to facilitate their integration into society after serving their sentence. The project was developed over three years and completed at the end of last year.
We cooperated with the Prison Administration of the Republic of Slovenia at the Radeče Correctional Home. Five adolescents aged 14-23 were involved.
The first step was to develop a theoretical framework for an inclusive approach to the rehabilitation and education of convicted persons (led by the University of Malta).
Then, we developed guidelines for the implementation of the new approach, with the Association of Centres for Social Work and the International Association of Criminal and Forensic Psychology as the lead partners. The approach is project-based and founded on experiential and collaborative learning, the principles of positive criminology and insights from systemic theory. The content is related to the lives and experiences of young people, with themes including family, various cultures, interpersonal communication, personal growth, work, earning and managing money, health, and setting and achieving goals.
Pilot programmes were then designed and implemented in the four countries involved. The activities were based on group work and cooperative learning, with implementors taking into account the individual interests of the young people while following the objectives of the programme. Creativity, inclusion, and cooperation were common denominators of the various programmes. They were implemented in each of the four countries and pursued the same project goal – an inclusive approach based on the principles of positive criminology and insights from systemic theory. On the one hand, professionals helped young prisoners to develop social skills; they promoted active citizenship and strived to strengthen their values and raise their self-esteem, while on the other hand, the activities involved adults relevant to the individual prisoner, prison professionals and some role models.
We have also made recommendations for the implementation of the model in various prison systems across Europe, with the participation of all partners, led by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Bremen. Experts from the International Corrections and Prison Association in the Netherlands were actively involved in disseminating the results of the project.
Sabina Tori Selan (sabina.tori.selan@cik-trebnje.si), Trebnje AEC
