Constanta R O M A N I A MINISTRY OF JUSTICE NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION OF PRISONS

- 31 prisons - 6 hospital prisons - 3 Re-education centres - 3 prisons for minors and young people - one prison for women - 3 training units

Classifying inmates by age : - Inhabitants of RO: 21.5 millions; - convicts: aprox thousand. The total number of inmates:

Human resources for educational activities (there are two categories of personnel who implement plans of executioner prison sentences) Internal personnel – National Administration of Prisons Educator officers Psychologist officers Social worker officers Sport monitors The main activities: Educative activities Sport activities Activities in community Therapeutic activities Social assistance activities Psychological intervention activities Externalize personnel (civil servants) – Ministry of Education Schoolteachers in 6 units Experts in psycho-pedagogy Professional trainers The main activities: School training Professional training

Directorate for Social Reinsertion The individualized punishment execution regime and the particularized approach of the psycho-social intervention are achieved by: Psycho-social intervention activities:  Psychological evaluations  Social evaluations  Action with priority upon needs who was identified (the priority needs to be resolved)  Psychological and social counseling  Psychological and social assistance programs Educational activities:  Educational needs evaluations  Educational programs  Informative educational activities  Sport activities  Activities in community  Coordinating formal learning and professional activities

THE VISION OF NATIONAL SOCIAL REINTEGRATION STRATEGY Creating an organizational subunit designed to carry on analyses, syntheses, studies and interpretation; Elaborating and implementing an unitary system of assessment and intervention; Drawing up and promoting a national strategy aimed at prisoners’ social re-entry; Developing partnership with non-governmental organizations and local communities, which will result in facilitating inmates’ social rehabilitation; Creating a partnership between the Romanian prison service and the EU prison structures, facilitating the exchange of good practices and the development of a joint regulatory framework in the European penal system.

Formal learning activity

Professional training activity

Participation at recreational sports activities

…If we do all this activities, if the teachers do their job at European standards, than…what about RELAPSING? Where is the mistake? What do we know about relation between prison & relapsing? (because in RO, about half of offenders from = 45,11% - are going to the second and so on…offence!)

Theories about prisons Prison as “punishment” Prison as “school of crime” Prison as “minimalist effect”

Prison as punishment Prison don’t reduce the recidivism, but, on the contrary, most of the studies, has identified a strong correlation between the time which is spending in prison and relapsing It is possible that the offenders with low risks at relapsing to suffer living prison’s experiences (they will proceed easier to second offence & the rate of relapsing become higher if they weren’t punished)

Prison as “school of crime” Imprisonment – “the assimilation of the criminal ideology from penitentiary culture” Relapse offenders exert a formative pro-delinquencies influence upon “new-entry” delinquents Imprisonment is reducing re-integration chances (passive behavior, apathy, despair, rage, depression, depersonalization, etc). Coerced adaptation at prison life- deep and long effects upon man’s self-concept Pains of imprisonment

Prison as “minimalist effect” “deep freeze” – the adaptation to prison life, require new habilitations: the Self is “suspended” and will become alive only after getting free Penal time – “limbo” “reality hanging”

One conclusion The prison has unworthy effects on relapsing conduct – especially upon detainees with “low risk” The prison mustn’t propose more things than temporary incapacity of dangerous offenders. There is some hope that the transformation (change-over) is possible in some cases, if some conditions are ready-made.

Conditions for reaching success of re- integration process Some instruments for evaluation the risks of relapsing and classifying of offenders (not clinic, but statistical-scale) The application of some correctional programs which are based on development of abilities The implication of human resource with adequate characteristics and skills

Human resource Critical resource !!! In present, 665 specialists work for re-education and social reintegration of offenders “can make or break a program” The quality of relationship between offender & staff – 1/3 from changing (inmates and staff have an open and frequent process of communication) Developing communication skills The teacher thinks as much that the offender can be change, he hasn’t punitive attitudes, is strong but fair, emphatic and he applies the specific methods for pro-social shaping

Final remarks 1. The prison doesn't make wonders – the punitive experience of isolation doesn’t change people in better !!! 2. The prison aim will must be the temporary incapacitate the conducts of dangerous offenders 3. The prison is modest in reducing relapsing– but it can make progresses regarding of some principles mentioned above.

!? Maybe, here, together, we are able to discover some answers some ideas or…(why not?!) the secret of minimization risks’s relapsing and efficient use of re-education knowledge in prison

THANK YOU ! For any information regarding Romanian prison system visit :