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Welcome to the EuroPris Knowledge Management System. The table below shows questions and responses from European National Agencies. Select a question for more information or use the filters on the left to narrow down questions based on Agency or Category.
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Introduction: The Irish Prison Service operates an integrated offender sentence management programme. The programme involves a designated prison officer as an Integrated Sentence Management (ISM) Coordinator. This ISM Coordinator is required to conduct an initial screening interview with a sentenced prisoner within days of committal. This interview is called the First Contact Assessment and poses questions in relation to welfare, education, training and support needs. The prisoner’s responses to the questions posed inform and direct the referrals to the multi-disciplinary team to invite their engagement, assessment and intervention with the prisoner. The interventions recommended by the multi-disciplinary team in response, form the sentence management plan for the prisoner. Approximately one year prior to the release of the prisoner, the ISM Coordinator conducts a ‘Community Integration Interview’. This interview comprises of questions in relation to accommodation plans on release and welfare and support needs on release to facilitate re-integration. The prisoner responses inform and direct referrals to internal and external services to prepare a release plan. The Irish Prison Service is currently reviewing and re-designing the policy, procedures and IT system that support the integrated sentence management programme in Irish Prisons and would welcome information in relation to offender management policies and procedures across the EuroPris group.
NIPS have a Prisoner Development Model (PDM) in place supporting prisoners through the custodial journey.
Does your prison system have an IT system to support integrated offender sentence management and can you share a user guide or screen shots from the system?NIPS have IT system supporting implementation of the PDM. Currently being reviewed in a number of key areas adopting the use of tablet technology in the prison setting promoting better outcomes for those in custody.
Does your prison system have an initial screening interview on committal to inform sentence management and the engagement of multi-disciplinary team. If yes, can you please share a sample of the questions posed?NIPS conduct a committal interview followed by Prisoner Needs Profile (PNP) identifying needs, strengths and risks to inform interventions/support from partner agencies.
Does your prison system have an individualised sentence plan for each prisoner? If yes, does the individualised sentence plan follow an agreed template and can you share a sample of the sentence plan template?Each prisoner has individual plan including a PDP. Input from Pre-sentence report to address need/development will be included and reviewed at key stages.
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Aims of ICM Integrated Case Management seeks to keep the positive features of sentence management, whilst ensuring that there are strong joint operational processes in place with other criminal justice partners. Importantly, Integrated Case Management seeks to unite the sentence management process with the requirements of Circular 12/2002 for those prisoners subject to statutory supervision in the community. The aim of ICM is not solely about SPS having an efficient process in place which helps manage a prisoner’s progression through custody. ICM is also aimed at establishing an effective system which facilitates closer co-operation and joint working practices between criminal justice agencies, in particular with criminal justice social work, but also on occasion with the Police and other community based agencies. The purpose of this is to improve the risk assessment and risk management processes, thereby reducing reoffending. Key Aspects of ICM ICM will: • Be delivered to all convicted prisoners and not just those sentenced to 4 years or more, as is currently the case with sentence management; • Differ in intensity according to risk and not, as previously, sentence length; • Adopt a case conference approach to action planning. This will involve all the relevant service providers who have contact with prisoners subject to post-release supervision; • Utilise the input of all service providers through an IT-based system – SPS’ PR2 system that will become the standard case management tool for prison based staff; • Have the same entry and exit procedures for all prisoners regardless of sentence length. All prisoners will undergo a Core Screen assessment on entry to prison and will leave with a Community Integration Plan/Pre-release Plan ; • Provide prisoners with a clear pathway through custody. This should encourage greater engagement with the action planning process, a more responsible approach to addressing difficulties and therefore desistance from offending on release; • Sequence interventions appropriately; • Ensure all relevant information is shared with appropriate service providers to facilitate a holistic planning process; • Facilitate fully integrated service provision (e.g. addictions, learning skills & employability and social care) using assessment tools that have been consistently developed and support the IT-based case management file; • Provide a greater recognition of the diversity within the prisoner population. Briefly highlighted below are the key roles for those involved in the ICM process: • SPS Link Officers are responsible for Core Screen Assessments which are completed within 72 hours of admission to custody; • SPS Case Co-ordinators and Prison Based Social Work are responsible for organising and chairing case conferences and contributing to these; • Prison Based Social Work are effectively the link with Community Based Social Work colleagues in ensuring good communication and information exchange; • Service Providers will be expected to provide enhanced assessments and direct service provision; • Psychological staff will have the same role as other service providers, though additionally they will be expected to provide training on Motivational Interviewing Skills to Personal Officers and training to Case Co-ordinators; • Personal Officers will have a role to play in helping motivate the prisoner to engage with service providers, keeping track of the agreed plan/outcomes and supporting the prisoner; and • Community Based Social Work will be expected to attend and contribute to the Case Conferences and be the link with the family, community based services and the Prison. Clearly, Community Based Social Work’s role continues after the prisoner’s release from custody, whereupon they will be required to supervise the individuals’ licence/order. ICM is predicated on a case conference model. This approach brings together the prisoner, their family and other key staff to examine the prisoner’s progress through custody. The case conference will consider the actions/interventions that are necessary to help make the prisoner’s stay in custody successful. The case conference will also examine the assessed risks the prisoner poses and help decide on appropriate interventions aimed at reducing those risks. This particular approach should prove useful in (a) keeping the prisoner at the centre of the ICM process, (b) maintaining a focus on issues which are external to the prison as well as internal, (c) the sharing of relevant information across agencies and (d) assessing and managing risk.
Does your prison system have an IT system to support integrated offender sentence management and can you share a user guide or screen shots from the system?The Core Screen process is the initial contact for all prisoners who will be involved in the Integrated Case Management system and is the same process for all regardless of sentence length and post release supervision status. This information will provide the platform for specialist agencies to engage with the prisoner and plan via the CIP on PR2 . For the prisoners who are subject to post release supervision the information obtained during the core screen will be a valuable starting point for the full risk & needs assessment. The purpose of the Core Screen is to identify any immediate needs as soon as possible in order to make the appropriate referrals and have the best possible plan of action in place, this is especially important for the very short-term prisoners.
Does your prison system have an initial screening interview on committal to inform sentence management and the engagement of multi-disciplinary team. If yes, can you please share a sample of the questions posed?Responsivity This area is designed to capture any issues that may impact on a person’s ability to engage with particular interventions. Any one individual may have a number of responsivity issues, and these should all be recorded, even where there is uncertainty on the part of staff working with the prisoner. For example, there may be cultural issues or even issues around sexual orientation that should be considered when planning ongoing/future interventions. Disability may be a particularly common issue and special care should be taken to ensure that the impact of a disability should be considered when developing the CIP. All information obtained here should be recorded on PR2 in the responsivity domain notes page in the CIP. Social Care Needs domain This domain focuses on mainly the practical issues of securing accommodation and that the correct benefits procedure are applied to ensure all entitlements are fully granted. Accommodation This area is vital for those prisoners who may be of no fixed abode or returning to unstable accommodation on release, especially the quick turnaround prisoners. It is vital to make the appropriate referral to allow the local accommodation provider to properly identify the correct form of action. Benefits and Finance This section ensures that all benefits the prisoner was receiving prior to release are properly closed and that the process is initiated for reinstatement of benefits on release. There is also the opportunity to identify any debt management issues that the prisoner may have and ensure that information and advice is available if required. Resettlement Needs domain Family contact during prison and on release Within this area it is important to establish the support that the offender is able to access during and post sentence and it is the responsibility of all staff within the prison to ensure that the level of contact is maintained to the highest possible standard. Resettlement supports This section will focus on ensuring that the offender has appropriate supports within the community on release. This is inclusive of all statutory supervision cases where Prison based social work will continue with the ICM process toward full Risk & Needs assessment and Case conferencing. Statutory Supervision/Monitoring: The prisoner must be referred to prison-based Social Work if he/she is/has been: • sentenced to four years or more • sentenced to Life • subject to an Extended Sentence • subject to a Supervised Release Order • convicted of a Schedule 1 offence (or other offence against a child) • subject to Sex Offender registration • Sex offender sentenced to 6 months or more Learning, Skills and Employability domain Employment The establishment may have other service providers in addition to JobCentre Plus. Staff should be aware of local arrangements for access to such providers. All convicted prisoners should be made aware of the requirement to disclose their conviction to potential employers. The interviewer should, therefore, encourage prisoners to speak with the local service provider to obtain advice on disclosure and the associated documents. The prisoner's skills/qualifications should be discussed in order to highlight potential work/training opportunities while in prison. Learning & skills Interviewing staff should be well versed in the range of opportunities available from Learning & Skills service providers and be able to pass relevant information to the prisoner both on request and as a way of encouraging engagement. The opportunities for continuing learning/skills/training in which the prisoner is engaged should be highlighted. The interviewer should employ an open-questioning technique as potential for learning may not be readily identified, particularly where prisoners are reluctant to disclose lack of basic skills. Substance Misuse domain Many prisoners will be reluctant to admit they have a problem with drugs, alcohol or solvents. Indeed, they may be unaware of the fact that they have a substance misuse problem. Sensitive, open questioning is therefore essential. If the prisoner does not feel he/she has an addiction problem, ask if drugs, alcohol or solvent abuse was a factor in his/her offence. Sensitive follow-up questions/discussion will help identify whether or not a substance misuse problem exists. If the prisoner answers 'Yes' to the questions included in this section, (including smoking) ask if he/she would like to meet with a caseworker to discuss substance misuse/addiction problems. The prisoner should only be referred to Enhanced Addictions Casework Services if he will spend 31 days or more in prison unless male young offender or female offender where all sentence lengths are offered the full service. Offending Behaviour domain Constructs/ Cog Skills Screen for need - it may be useful to prompt using examples, such as stealing or dealing in drugs to obtain money, or using violence to deal with problems with others. Alternatively, refer to their current offence and ask them why they committed that offence, and explore to find out if it was to address a problem they were facing. Screen for motivation - it is important to avoid implying that they are very poor at problem solving when asking this question, rather focus on the programme developing existing skills and offering the prisoner greater choices in the future. The interviewer should have some knowledge of the Constructs programme in order to answer any questions the prisoner may ask at this stage Anger Management Screen for need - encourage the offender to focus on the build up to the offence and how they were feeling. This can be quite direct, for example, asking "At the time of the offence, do you remember feeling any strong emotions such as anger?". Another prompt question might be "when you've been violent in the past, what would you say has led you to act in this way?". For the individual to demonstrate potential need for anger management, there should be some indication that the offence was not planned, but rather resulted from them struggling to control their anger. Screen for motivation - it is important to avoid implying that they are very poor at anger management when asking this question, rather focus on the programme developing existing skills and offering the prisoner greater control in the future. The interviewer should have some knowledge of the Anger Management programme in order to answer any questions the prisoner may ask at this stage
Does your prison system have an individualised sentence plan for each prisoner? If yes, does the individualised sentence plan follow an agreed template and can you share a sample of the sentence plan template?The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has made a Corporate Plan Commitment for 2017-20 to work with those in our care to promote desistance and reduce reoffending. In order to achieve this SPS is further developing approaches to case management to ensure a person-centred focus and linkage to a range of purposeful educational learning and vocational training opportunities. SPS has recently concluded a Test of Change of the Case Management Pathway and this is currently being Evaluated with the findings anticipated in Q3. Overall, changes to the process include revised products and pathway; a targeted approach to case conferencing; and alignment of the current Programme Case Management Board (PCMB) and ICM process.
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The Belgian Prison Service doesn’t have a formal model for offender sentence management although some provisions of the Law of Principal are referring to the detention planning of prisoners. These provisions are currently in a preparation phase and will be implemented on a short time basis.
Does your prison system have an IT system to support integrated offender sentence management and can you share a user guide or screen shots from the system?The Prison Service doesn’t have an IT system to support integrated offender sentence management.
Does your prison system have an initial screening interview on committal to inform sentence management and the engagement of multi-disciplinary team. If yes, can you please share a sample of the questions posed?The Belgian Prison Service has a specific intake procedure upon admission to the prison. The psychosocial service for instance (i.e. an expertise service consisting of psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers who assess the needs- and risks of the prisoners) does an intake interview with the prisoners within 4 days after admission to the prison. The medical service of the Prison Service does an intake as well, as does the community services who are responsible for the psychosocial/educational/vocational interventions during the period of incarceration.
Does your prison system have an individualised sentence plan for each prisoner? If yes, does the individualised sentence plan follow an agreed template and can you share a sample of the sentence plan template?All these different procedures are currently under revision in the light of the implementation of the Law of Principle as explained in question 1.
No.
Does your prison system have an IT system to support integrated offender sentence management and can you share a user guide or screen shots from the system?No.
Does your prison system have an initial screening interview on committal to inform sentence management and the engagement of multi-disciplinary team. If yes, can you please share a sample of the questions posed?No.
Does your prison system have an individualised sentence plan for each prisoner? If yes, does the individualised sentence plan follow an agreed template and can you share a sample of the sentence plan template?In Slovakia, a treatment program is evolved for each prisoner. It is a sum of activities focused on development of the prisoner´s personality, his adequate behaviour and value orientation in line with rights and duties stipulated in the Act and other generally binding legal regulations. The treatment program sets a purposeful, complex and structured impact on the prisoner according to his personality characteristics, technical knowledge and education level in accordance with the purpose of the prison sentence execution The treatment program includes: a) a proposal for inclusion to education and cultural-edifying activity, re-training and resocialisation plans given the possibilities of the prison regarding the interest and real potentialities of the prisoner, b) possibilities of a systematic development and building up interests considering conditions of the prison, especially inclusion to hobby groups, sports activity and cultural-edifying activity, c) possibilities of inclusion to work considering the profession, health classification and security aspect, d) focus on strengthening the socially positive links with close persons, e) possibilities of using effective forms and methods of treatment, enforcement of other methods and forms of treatment aimed mainly at elimination of subjective causes of criminal activities.
The so called "Integrated Prison Administration" IT System includes the so called "Sentence Plan Module" which is supposed to support the documentation of the individualised sentence plan and standardise its formation i.e. by defining the risk factors and the interventions. Please see below the answers 3 and 4.
Does your prison system have an IT system to support integrated offender sentence management and can you share a user guide or screen shots from the system?See Question 1
Does your prison system have an initial screening interview on committal to inform sentence management and the engagement of multi-disciplinary team. If yes, can you please share a sample of the questions posed?In Austrian Prison System an initial interview with the prisoner concerning his biography and personal situation, his deficits and protective factors such as his needs, is being conducted either by the psychologist or by the social worker (both of them are members of the multi-disciplinary team) in the penal Institution in which the inmate is placed, and forms the basis for the individual sentence plan. However this interview cannot be compared with a standardised screening tool since there is not a standard questionnaire used nore the answers are beiing implemented through a certain tool. This interview is a procedure taking place for every inmate and must be considered as the first structured talk with the inmate in order to gain further personal Information than in his prisoners act and also to gain a picture of his personality such as his personal situation before and while the imprisonment.
Does your prison system have an individualised sentence plan for each prisoner? If yes, does the individualised sentence plan follow an agreed template and can you share a sample of the sentence plan template?There is an obligatory individualised sentence plan for prisoners serving a sentence higher than 18 months (and also for some other categories of inmates such as juveniles and mentally ill offenders not related to the length of their sentence). A multi-disciplinary team is responsible to form this individualised sentence plan. Although there is an agreed template in order to document the sentence plan in the so called "Sentence Plan Module" within the "Integrated Prison Administration" IT system, the content of the sentence plan and the information shared there is being determined by the multi-disciplinary team. However there are some standardised fields such as for the individual risk factors and the interventions to be imposed.
The task of criminal punishment execution is to execute criminal punishment in accordance with the fundamental principles of executing criminal punishments laid down in Sentence Execution Code, applying the resocialisation measures laid down in this Code to a convicted person, as well as to achieve that the convicted person and other persons abide laws and refrain from committing criminal offences. According with Section 50.1 of the Sentence Execution Code of Latvia, progressive execution of sentence is based on differentiation of convicted persons within the framework of each type of deprivation of liberty institution and regime of a deprivation of liberty institution, as well as the transfer of convicted persons from a prison of one type to a prison of another type, taking into account the portion of the sentence served and the behaviour of the convicted person. Its objective is to achieve conformity of the sentence execution regime with the behaviour and re-socialisation level of the convicted person in ensuring execution of the sentence, and his or her optimal involvement in life after release. Inmate's resocialisation is carried out by the staff of the imprisonment place. Representatives of other countries or municipalities or non-governmental institutions are also involved in inmate's resocialisation. Inmate's resocialisation in imprisonment place begins with inmate's risk and needs assessment. The objective of the assessment is to define for inmate individual and appropriate applicable resocialisation means to decrease the level of antisocial behaviour and risk of repeated criminal offence – by planning resocialisation process during the sentence execution time. Initial assessment is carried out after the beginning of sentence execution, but no later than in two months. Repeated assessment is carried out at least one time per year, as well as before the decision of the possible conditional release. The assessment is carried out by resocialisation staff. The results are noted in a form according with the risk and needs methodology approved by the Director General of the Latvian Prison Administration. In the form the following information is indicated: motives and circumstances for committing the crime, criminal history of the inmate, inmate's behaviour in prison, citizenship, information on inmate's identification documents, place of residence, education, work experience, income and financial planning, marital status, social relationships and lifestyle, dependencies/addictions, thought process errors and antisocial behaviour, overall health (including disabilities and injuries), inmate's motivation to participate in resocialisation activities. For every inmate a resocialisation plan is developed. In the resocialisation plan is set the resocialisation goal that needs to be reached during the whole of the sentence execution and the tasks for the next assessment period (inmate's education, psychological care, social work services, resocialisation programme implementation, free time activities etc.).
Does your prison system have an IT system to support integrated offender sentence management and can you share a user guide or screen shots from the system?Yes, Latvian Prison Administration uses IT system that is integrated in the larger information system that is used by the courts, prosecutor's office and State Probation Service.
Does your prison system have an initial screening interview on committal to inform sentence management and the engagement of multi-disciplinary team. If yes, can you please share a sample of the questions posed?Yes, no less than two months after start of the imprisonment sentence execution. For every inmate a risk and needs assessment is carried out by three resocialisation specialists (manager of the inmate's resocialisation process, psychologist, social worker). Specialists interview the inmate by using motivational interview methods. In accordance with the content of the assessment instrument, they find out statistical factors and follow the changes in value of the dynamic factors.
Does your prison system have an individualised sentence plan for each prisoner? If yes, does the individualised sentence plan follow an agreed template and can you share a sample of the sentence plan template?Yes, every inmate has an individual sentence execution plan with primary and secondary resocialisation activities.
No
Does your prison system have an IT system to support integrated offender sentence management and can you share a user guide or screen shots from the system?No
Does your prison system have an initial screening interview on committal to inform sentence management and the engagement of multi-disciplinary team. If yes, can you please share a sample of the questions posed?Prior to being allocated to a particular sector, an initial screening interview is compulsory with the Health Care, Psychological, Resocialization, Criminal Intelligence, Penitentiary Service representatives, afterwards each service provides its own recommendation for allocation of a person. Following the order of the prison director a special board is set up which in the presence of the inmate allocates him to a unit, sector and cell. While allocating inmates into sectors the above-mentioned recommendations are discussed by the board of the establishment concerned and on the basis of which an inmate is allocated to a particular sector.
Does your prison system have an individualised sentence plan for each prisoner? If yes, does the individualised sentence plan follow an agreed template and can you share a sample of the sentence plan template?Yes, but only in Lithuanian. The requirements for the Plan are regulated in the Penal Sanctions Enforcement Code which stipulates that an individualized social rehabilitation plan should include: an inmate's place of residence prior to the sentence, education, marital status, employment before sentence, contact data of a spouse, partner, relatives; the beginning and the end of the sentence, the possible date of transfer to a correctional institution or Half-way houses, date of possible conditional release; offender‘s risk and criminogenic needs assessment; measures of reducing dynamic risk factors and terms of their implementation; measures helping inmates to comply with the regime; forms of leisure activities; maintenance of social relations and their promotion; officers of correction or pre-trial detention establishments, legal and/or natural entities responsible for the implementation of measures/tasks set up in the Plan, inmates’ meeting with the mentors; other measures.
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Integrated offender sentence management model in Croatian prison system is based on individual sentence plan which is tailor-made for each prisoner according to his/her individual risks and needs (see answer under 4.). Design, implementation and assessment of the achievements of objectives set by the individual sentence plan are task of prisons’ multidisciplinary team of persons who are in daily contact with a specific prisoner (treatment department, security department, department for work and education, medical department). This multidisciplinary team is always led and coordinated by an expert working in treatment department (as a rule psychologist, social pedagogue or social workers), who is acting as the offender manager. Described roles and procedures regarding offender sentence management are stipulated in several national regulations (Law on the Enforcement if the Prison Sentence, Regulation on Prisoners’ Benefits, Regulation on internal order of the Ministry of Justice, Regulations on Prisoners’ Records and House Rules of the prison/penitentiary, which are not available in English).
Does your prison system have an IT system to support integrated offender sentence management and can you share a user guide or screen shots from the system?IT system to support integrated offender sentence management was constructed recently and is applied as a pilot in several prisons/penitentiaries, so it’s not yet available for sharing.
Does your prison system have an initial screening interview on committal to inform sentence management and the engagement of multi-disciplinary team. If yes, can you please share a sample of the questions posed?Structured professional judgement is applied at the admission of the prisoner to the enforcement of the prison sentence, which is based on available documentation, interview with a prisoner and application of different psycho-diagnostic instruments focused primarily on measuring personality traits and dimensions. Such diagnostic procedure is centralized in Diagnostic Centre in Zagreb where all prisoners sentenced to more than 6 months of imprisonment, all prisoners with the security measure of mandatory psychiatric treatment and all juveniles sentenced to juvenile prison sentence are admitted. Expert team of the Diagnostic Centre is consisted of psychologists, social workers, medical doctors and lawyers. Based on findings and recommendation of Diagnostic Centre in Zagreb Head Office of the Directorate of the Prison System and Probation makes decision on the correctional institution (prison or penitentiary) and regime (closed/semi-open or open) where the prisoner is going to continue with the enforcement of the sentence and then prison/penitentiary tailors individual sentence plan adjusted to risks and needs of each prisoner.
Does your prison system have an individualised sentence plan for each prisoner? If yes, does the individualised sentence plan follow an agreed template and can you share a sample of the sentence plan template?Individual sentence plan is tailored within 30 days from the admittance to the enforcement of the prison sentence and in time it is subject to changes according to prisoner’s behavior, risk assessment, estimation of one’s achievements and some objective circumstances during the sentence. Integral elements of the individual sentence plan template are: treatment group/ward/cell where prisoner is classified and accommodated; ability to work and working place/workshop; objectives and core elements of individual counselling and group psychosocial interventions (offender behaviour programs); need for psychological/psychiatric support; education; leisure time activities; contact with the outside world; information and expert opinions of relevant institutions/agencies and assessment of risk of misuse of external benefits (home-leaves); benefits; special measures of maintaining order and security, enhancement monitoring and measures of caution; pre-release preparation.
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