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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.
Want to ask a question? Please read our guidance information found here: Submitting a KMS Question
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Introduction: HMPPS have established a Transformation of Delivery in Prisons programme to look at specific elements of changing our approach post-covid. We have got the following questions:
Collecting data depends on the aim of each investigation. But generally, data are collected by direct communication with all prisons.
What’s your approach to the time spend by prisoners on wings/ units? What’s your model of prisoners spending their “free time”- when they are not in work/education etc., what type of activities do you offer, including any structured ones?A wide variety of occupational and cultural activities are offered to inmates. The main instrument in this field is the observation of inmmates by officers.
Digital access– What type of technology (e.g. I-pads) do you use in prisons and what’s the impact?There are computers in order to follow university studies. The aim is to use more technology in the future. In this sense, the Penitentiary Regulation has been changed to allow the enter of technology inside prisons.
What are the main “COVID lessons learnt” in your service- Are you introducing any changes to your regimes following the experience of COVID when planning for the future(e.g. different way of structuring activities)?- The system is too punitive. A lot of inmates were put in open regimen due to covid and without any security impact. - The systema is too restrictive. New technologies have been strongly used inside prisons, also without any securiry impact.
Any theoretical or real-world examples of data being used in a prison service to generate insights and drive personalisation? Thoughts on considerations of gathering and using qualitative and quantitative data to design prison regimes. (e.g. ethical, operational, technical, cultural)?This content is only available to registered members of EuroPris.
This type of data is not measured and aggregated.
What’s your approach to the time spend by prisoners on wings/ units? What’s your model of prisoners spending their “free time”- when they are not in work/education etc., what type of activities do you offer, including any structured ones?The organization of leisure measures for prisoners takes place in accordance with the requirements of the Sentence Execution Code of Latvia and in accordance with the requirements of the Law on the Procedures for Holding under Arrest. Sports and physical activities, cultures (concerts, thematic events, poetry readings, etc.), educational activities (lectures, presentation of general educational films and their discussion, etc.) and artistic activities are organized in detention places. There is an opportunity to participate in activities of a religious nature. Detention facilities are monitoring free-time measures processes, reflecting information on leisure measures, their number, targeting and nature. NGOs, State and local government institutions are involved in the organization of leisure events. Volunteers and NGOs participate in or lead some of the types of leisure event, such as: arts or music lessons, table game tournaments, etc. Any NGO or volunteer, in cooperation with prisons, has the opportunity to engage, develop a range of leisure activities for prisoners. Active work is being carried out on enlistment and training of volunteers aimed at providing volunteers with knowledge of the objectives and nature of the prisons.
Digital access– What type of technology (e.g. I-pads) do you use in prisons and what’s the impact?Information kiosks are available at each prison, where prisoners can independently connect to a limited number of websites, thereby ensuring that any prisoner can be consulted free of charge with systematically organized legislation. The content of home pages is linked to legislation or information ensuring that the rights of prisoners are fully respected. Among other things, this access to home pages is reviewed and, in some cases, extended. Access to computers is provided to ensure the training process for prisoners and also the possibility of using computers for video communications with relatives for individual categories of prisoners. During the covid-19 pandemic, computers were used to communicate remotely with NGOs, for example, detainees made use of the possibility of contacting NGOs operating in the field of reducing dependency.
What are the main “COVID lessons learnt” in your service- Are you introducing any changes to your regimes following the experience of COVID when planning for the future(e.g. different way of structuring activities)?One of the most significant changes in detention places is online judicial proceedings, namely that before the pandemic prisoners were delivered to court hearings by means of prison transport, then during the limits of the pandemic, the hearings started to take place on-line (in detention facilities), which, in principle, save time and financial resources to bring the prisoner to the designated court session. In some ways, prisons became more digitalized. Other relevant factor during pandemic is the improvement of the hygiene culture of prisoners, namely that prisoners began to wash/disinfect their hands more frequently, more often fanning cameras with fresh air into them and to take daily walks.
Any theoretical or real-world examples of data being used in a prison service to generate insights and drive personalisation?This type of data is not collected.
Thoughts on considerations of gathering and using qualitative and quantitative data to design prison regimes. (e.g. ethical, operational, technical, cultural)?N/A