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Staff Exchange Programme

The EuroPris Staff Exchange Programme offers frontline prison staff the opportunity to engage in a short-term (one week) work-shadowing experience in a different European jurisdiction. Aimed at practitioners such as frontline prison officers, the programme facilitates professional development and promotes cross-border learning and collaboration.

EuroPris organises two editions per year, each hosted by a different member jurisdiction. Recent editions have taken place in Estonia (the Estonian Prison and Probation Service), Luxembourg (The Luxembourg Prison Administration), and the United Kingdom (HM Prison & Probation Service) bringing together participants from different European countries.

Participants gain first-hand insights into different correctional systems, observe innovative practices, and exchange experiences with their counterparts across Europe. All essential expenses, including travel, accommodation, and subsistence, are covered by EuroPris.

Programme Objectives:

 

  • Enhance professional development by exposing participants to different correctional systems and practices
  • Promote the exchange of best practices across European correctional services
  • Provide insights into innovative approaches within the prison sector
  • Strengthen cross-border cooperation and mutual understanding among correctional professionals


Ten member countries have been represented so far (two per country): the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia, Luxembourg, Greece, Germany, Lithuania, England & Wales, Italy, and Malta. 

Participant Requirements:

  • Each member jurisdiction are asked to nominate two staff members.
  • At least one of the nominated participants from each jurisdiction must be a uniformed/frontline staff member.
  • All participants are required to have proficiency in English.

    Duration:

  • The exchange will take place over a one-week period (total of five working days).

Staff Exchange Programme 1:

In December 2024, EuroPris organised the first edition of the Staff Exchange Programme, hosted by the Estonian Prison and Probation Service. The programme brought together 10 prison professionals from across Europe: the Czech Republic, Greece, Germany, Luxembourg, and Slovenia. Over the course of a week, participants shadowed Estonian prison staff and visited all of Estonia’s prisons: Tallinn, Viru, and Tartu, gaining valuable insights into Estonia's prison system and best practices. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to visit the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, where they explored Estonia’s innovative approach to staff training. Read the report on EuroPris' first edition of the Staff Exchange Programme.

Staff Exchange Programme 2:

Ten prison professionals from Italy, Malta, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, and Estonia spent a week in Luxembourg, learning from each other. The exchange was hosted by the Administration pénitentiaire Luxembourg, who had taken part in the first edition of the programme. Read more about the experience here.


Staff Exchange Programme 3:

The EuroPris Staff Exchange Programme in Leeds brought together prison professionals from several European countries for a week of shared learning, observation, and discussion. Hosted by HMPPS, participants travelled from Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia, Romania, and Hungary to explore prison practice within the English system and to exchange experiences with colleagues working in a variety of custodial environments. Read more about it here.