The role of socialisation and knowledge on social reintegration – keys for success

Upon completing their sentence, most inmates face significant social adaptation issues such as stigmatisation or ostracism from family and society. It is also common to have a hard time finding a job or even housing.

This marginalisation is partly due to the lack of the social skills and competencies that allow most people to function productively in society.

Without proper material, psychological and social support, offenders tend to fall back into the reoffending cycle, contributing to the prevailing recidivism rates.

Throughcare within the criminal system

Lately, an increased focus has been given to devising comprehensive, continuous care-based interventions to assist offenders outside and inside the prison.

Experts have demonstrated that the reintegration progress must begin before the offender’s release, implementing interventions that aid the reintegration into the community. This system is designated as “throughcare” and is designed to address the individual’s specific difficulties and challenges.

Upon reintroduction into the community, the ex-convicts’ connections with society may prove a valuable source of support.

The maintenance of family ties, the ability to keep up with social changes, and the guarantee of knowledge are crucial to living under social rules. General research has proven that ex-inmates who can secure a job, manage social ties, and maintain social interactions are less likely to recidivate.

BLEEP’s offer toward socialisation and knowledge

The Blended Learning Environment for European Prisoners (BLEEP) project promotes digital inclusion in its broadest sense. The project has created and implemented an innovative, creative, Europe-focused blended learning platform for all (ex)inmates. To develop this programme, the project partners sought to answer the inmate’s most needed skills. Moreover, it was important to make the platform accessible inside and outside the prison grounds.

The individuals can determine their learning process, providing the inmates with a tool that can be monitored while stimulating progress in developing skills. The BLEEP project also contributes to the facilitators’ professional development by supporting the reintegration of inmates into society before their release from prison.

To discuss the programme implementation, the BLEEP consortium gathered at Bucharest-Jilava prison, in Romania at the beginning of June 2022.

The event coincided with the Children’s Day event at the prison, which allowed 60 inmates to celebrate this national holiday with their offspring. Taking advantage of the presence of Romanian justice and senior prison officials at the event, the BLEEP project partners shared the initiative’s results in a Multiplier Event at the ceremony ground.