News

Prison officers for the 21st century: Innovative project can put Europe on the right path when it comes to training
We’re now a step closer to improving, harmonising and recognising prison officers’ training across the EU. Close to 100 participants, including leaders of national prison services, prison governors, prison officers, heads of training academies, and researchers gathered to learn more about and discuss issues around the education and training of European prison officers.

Training Albanian Prison Staff in Radicalisation Prevention
IPS_Innovative Prison Systems recently supported the Albanian Helsinki Committee to provide a two-day training event for prison staff. The training aimed to enhance their knowledge on preventing and countering violent extremism and was attended by multi-disciplinary teams from 19 Criminal Judgment Execution Institutions across the country.

Implementing complementary strategies to improve refugee integration
A new transnational European partnership emphasises the need for an integrative approach to preventing refugees’ and asylum-seekers’ vulnerability to radicalisation.

Developing inmates’ competencies through Virtual Reality technology
The potential of Virtual Reality (VR) as a tool to enhance vocational training is being explored and put into practice by a consortium of partner organisations working in criminal justice across Europe. The ultimate goal is to increase inmates’ preparation for successful employment post-release and prevent re-incarceration.

Rehabilitation of foreign inmates in the EU: cooperation and mutual trust are key
Several challenges related to foreign prisoners gave rise to a new European project directed towards a more informed and efficient implementation of Framework Decision (FD) 2008/909/JHA. This legal instrument entails the application of the principle of mutual recognition, across the E.U., of judgments imposing custodial sentences or measures involving deprivation of liberty.

Enhancing the capacity of Correctional Services to work with convicted children
Fostering capacity-building of correctional services’ staff in their work with convicted children and sharing best practices in Europe are the goals of a new transnational European initiative partnered by IPS_Innovative Prison Systems.

Interborder and inter-agency cooperation to solve common problems: The need to tailor best practices in the P/CVE field
By bringing together various practitioners from different countries, institutions and levels, the HOPE Radicalisation Network is establishing new communication routes. The platform is allowing new trust relations to flourish, and providing its members with the right opportunities to exchange knowledge and practices towards innovative transparent solutions.

Cross-border cooperation in Europe critical to achieving sustainable change
Recognising how partnerships and cooperation are paramount across Europe, the EEA and Norway Grants gathered more than one hundred participants in a Thematic Seminar. The HOPE project could not have failed to participate in the gathering, illustrating the suitability of a holistic approach while focusing on region-specific needs and challenges.

Social work in the EU: Crises urge improving professionals’ training
The EU needs to harmonise social workers’ education, training, and action modalities. The profession is not limited to an assisting role, so the training and education of social workers should cover topics around empowerment and self-determination. A transnational initiative emerged from this need, aimed at developing new training methods and content adapted to current and future social evolution and challenges.

Supporting refugee integration through civil society involvement
A new European project seeks to build upon previous initiatives to develop training programmes and cement civil society synergies leading to better integration of refugees.

Supporting Radicalisation Prevention in Central Asia in light of Dynamic Security and Prison Intelligence
IPS_Innovative Prison Systems is contributing its expertise in Radicalisation Prevention to the INTERPOL-supported project LEICA. The initiative is partnering with Central Asian countries to enhance law enforcement capacities in preventing and countering terrorist activity.

Corrections’ professionals gathered to improve POs’ vocational training
As a tailor-made product demands, the end-users were called to test, provide feedback and adjust a training programme for European prison officers. The initiative’s consortium that is developing the programme was able to finetune it according to practical needs through a series of workshops.

Strengthening competencies and promoting Restorative Justice in probation
With a focus on Restorative Justice, a European expert group is developing a flexible and multidisciplinary Vocational Education and Training (VET) model for probation services and practitioners.

ICPA re-elects Pedro das Neves (IPS) to Board of Directors
Pedro das Neves, CEO of IPS_Innovative Prisons Systems, has been re-elected as a member of the ICPA – the International Corrections and Prisons Association – Board of Directors for a new term of four years. The election took place at the recently held ICPA’s 24th Annual General Meeting and Conference in Orlando, Florida. The conference was attended by more than 600 participants from 74 countries.

Enhancing educational professionals’ skills to support youth vulnerable to radicalisation
New effective and grounded training to empower European educational and youth practitioners in preventing radicalisation is rolling out in 2023.

Improving Law Enforcement and NGOs’ response to ensure refugees’ inclusion and integration
A new European project is focused on refugee integration as a path to preventing radicalisation. The initiative will enhance law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and non-governmental organisations’ (NGOs) competencies to work with these vulnerable individuals.

JUSTICE TRENDS Magazine No. 9 is out now: Pretrial detention in the spotlight
JUSTICE TRENDS Magazine just published another issue exploring the world of prison and probation through exclusive and thoughtful interviews with key figures in the justice sector and article contributions from renowned international experts.

The need to reinforce the civil society’s role in P/CVE highlighted at the EUROCRIM conference
In a conference filled with P/CVE researchers and experts, an European initiative brought attention to the crucial role of community involvement when dealing with radicalisation and violent extremism.