NCJ Number
75926
Date Published
1977
Length
48 pages
Annotation
This 1977 report, by the Council of Europe Program of Coordinated Research, shows how 17 European countries prepare prisoners and ex-prisoners for reemployment.
Abstract
Based on individual studies of the research team, the report describes education, vocational training, and work programs in prisons. Discussion covers the positive role of the trade unions in Sweden and difficulties in running effective programs in prisons, including the discrepancy between the predominance of short sentences and the requirement of traditional training schemes to have prisoners available for longer periods of time. Another existing conflict exists between the need for large institutions that provide a wide range of training and employment facilities and the arguments in favor of small institutions that are considered more humane and more likely to achieve therapeutic objectives. Prison industry and its role in rehabilitation is examined, and the paucity of research in this area is noted. Home leave/work release/furlough programs are highlighted, including the United Kingdom prison hostel program which enables residents to work outside of prison. In addition, the resettlement of the ex-prisoner by prison staff; the courts; the employment ministry; and by after-care personnel, probation officers, and volunteers is discussed. The use of sheltered employment in the United Kingdom, Norway, and Italy also receives attention. The report concludes that, if the prison system remains unchanged, rehabilitation inside prison or outside in the community can never be pursued successfully. Recommendations include the abandonment of imprisonment as an end in itself and the implementation of individualized training sentences. It is further recommended that prison systems should move towards more flexible models of operation, with social workers playing an increasingly key role in the development of penal systems. Statistical data, a list of the countries studied, and a list of members of the study group are included.