“When officers use their authority well, legitimately and carefully, every outcome is improved: suicide, disorder, violence, political charge, and even prisoner’s future.”
– Professor Alison Liebling
PROJECT PRISGRADS
PROJECT PRISGRADS
Materials
PRISGRADS is an Erasmus+ -funded KA210-VET – Small-scale partnership in vocational education and training between RICHTUNGSWECHSEL, INTERCHANGE (DE) and CPIP (RO). This project actively supports the Pact for Skills ‘Liberate Skills’ and its pledge to increase the professionalisation of correctional staff. Evidenced by Unlocked Graduates, the project maps the potential for innovation in vocational training by introducing university graduates to the prison service and providing opportunities in leadership and development through prison staff mentoring.
Project ID: 2023-2-AT01-KA210-VET-000175776 PRISGRADS
This page contains the materials developed within the project.
Click here for the detailed Competency Checklist developed in the PRISGRADS project.
Table of Contents
Infographic
The infographic for Activity 1 of the PRISGRADS project serves as the executive summary, illustrating the key aspects of this Erasmus+-funded KA210-VET Small-scale partnership, which involves RICHTUNGSWECHSEL, INTERCHANGE (DE), and CPIP (RO).
These materials will be available here shortly.
Competency Checklist
The Competency Checklist is designed to outline the essential skills and attributes required for graduate mentors and trainers working within correctional institutions. It also serves as a profile for mentors of graduates, summarizing the necessary qualifications and abilities to fulfill this demanding role. Based on the results of Activity 1 of the PRISGRADS Project, this checklist was refined during a comprehensive three-day workshop focusing on recruitment, identifying key competencies, and training mentors to guide (graduate) recruits into the correctional service.
Many of these skills are already present in the professional practices of correctional officers. However, the checklist places a special emphasis on how to effectively transfer these skills to mentees. This distinction is crucial, as it highlights the difference between an innate reaction and the competent and intentional passing on of knowledge, skills, and values in a structured and supportive manner.
Developed in alignment with the Nelson Mandela Rules and the Council of Europe Guidelines on the recruitment, selection, education, training, and professional development of prison and probation staff, this checklist reflects best practices in mentoring and professional development. It is informed by the expertise of over 70 professionals, including representatives from correctional institutions, trade unions, and training organizations across more than eight European countries.
The checklist provides a practical and sustainable resource, enabling current and future trainers to evaluate their existing competencies, identify areas for improvement, and access tips for free online courses and materials. It serves as a dynamic tool to support professional growth and foster excellence in graduate mentoring and training within the correctional field, ensuring high standards in mentoring new recruits and contributing to their successful integration into the correctional service.
These materials will be available here shortly.
Executive Summaries
During the PRISGRADS workshops, several presentations were held. The content of these presentations can be found here for further reading.
Torben Adams: Practitioner’s Perspective – The Need for High Recruitment Standards and EU Standardisation
Alexandru Ursulescu: Understanding Graduate Recruitment in Europe’s Prisons
Liam Fenn: Recruiting, Developing, and Retaining Leaders to Break Cycles of Reoffending
Tessa Jennett: Supporting Prison Officers for Impact
Matthias Pocessny: Recruiting & Training Prison Officers in Austria
Articles
Peer reviewed article on Recruitment and Retention by Tamara Höfer (CEO of Richtungswechsel)
The article “Staff Shortages in European Correctional Facilities: Success Strategies for Recruitment & Retention” by Tamara Höfer addresses the pressing issue of personnel shortages in justice institutions across Europe. It explores the root causes, including challenges in recruitment and retention, low job satisfaction, and systemic inefficiencies, while highlighting innovative approaches like the Scandinavian Prison Project and the Unlocked Graduates program.
This article is featured in FORUM STRAFVOLLZUG – Journal for Correctional Services and Offender Support, a well-established publication since 1950. The journal caters to professionals and decision-makers in the correctional field from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and over 30 other countries. It offers valuable insights into developments, best practices, and research related to corrections and social reintegration. Additionally, it includes legal overviews, literature reviews, and a continuously updated “Corrections A-Z” lexicon, making it a vital resource for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers alike. It is available both online and in print.
These materials will be available here shortly.
In the sixth edition of the magazine “New Ideas, New Goals”, created in collaboration between EProjectConsult and CPIP, you will find a contribution from our partner CPIP on the topic of PRISGRADS on pages 72–73. The publication provides valuable insights into the network’s activities and projects and serves as an important tool for disseminating results. It is available both online and in print.
Presentations on YouTube
PRISGRADS: Integration of university graduates into the prison service: PART ONE (English Version)
PRISGRADS: Integration of university graduates into the prison service: PART TWO (English Version)
PRISGRADS: Integration of university graduates into the prison service: PART THREE (English Version)
PRISGRADS Webinar: Einbindung von Hochschulabsolventen in den Strafvollzug: PART 1 (Deutsch Version)
PRISGRADS: Integration von Hochschulabsolventen in den Strafvollzug: TEIL ZWEI (Deutsche Version)
PRISGRADS Webinar: Einbindung von Hochschulabsolventen in den Strafvollzug: PART 3 (Deutsch Version)
Interviewing the Organisers of the PRISGRADS Workshop
Why did you join the PRISGRADS Workshop?
The Guidelines were developed following the 22nd Council of Europe Conference of Directors of Prison and Probation Services in Norway in 2017 and were drafted by the Council for Penological Co-operation (PC-CP) between 2018 and 2019. They were officially adopted by the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC) in 2019. The document defines the prison service as a public body responsible for managing persons remanded in custody or deprived of their liberty after conviction, ensuring safety, humane treatment, and preparation for reintegration. Probation refers to community sanctions and measures focused on supervision, guidance, and social inclusion of suspects or offenders, while probation agencies implement these measures, support reintegration, offer restorative justice interventions, and assist victims.
The mission of prison services and probation agencies is to contribute to public safety through humane management of offenders and by supporting rehabilitation and reintegration. Staff play a crucial role and must have adequate training, professional ethics, and a focus on human dignity and positive care. Training programs, including induction and in-service training, are essential and should be regularly evaluated and updated. Joint training opportunities with other agencies are encouraged to foster cooperation and promote shared goals. Additionally, sufficient resources and staff are vital to meet the objectives of these services, especially during significant policy changes.
In line with these principles, both the Nelson Mandela Rules and the Council of Europe Guidelines are taken into account in the development of our Competency Checklist. The Guidelines themselves are based on the Nelson Mandela Rules, emphasizing humane treatment, dignity, and reintegration of incarcerated individuals as core elements. The Council of Europe Guidelines provide the foundational framework for our checklist, ensuring alignment with best practices in recruitment, training, and professional development of prison and probation staff. These principles have guided the creation of our checklist, ensuring that it promotes a humane and effective approach to the recruitment and training of graduate mentors and trainers in correctional institutions.
