Call for nominations | CEP & EuroPris Expert Network on Foreign Nationals in Prison and Probation

Background

The CEP & EuroPris Foreign Nationals in Prison and Probation Expert Network evolved from organizations in Europe that supported their nationals imprisoned abroad which met together in the 1980s. In 1993, they formed the European Group of Prisoners Abroad and in 2007 became a Special Interest Group of the CEP. With the creation of EuroPris, the joint CEP & EuroPris Foreign Nationals in Prison and Probation (FNPP) Expert Network was established. This Expert Network is unique in Europe, comprising representatives from organizations working with their nationals imprisoned abroad, universities as well as experts nominated from the EuroPris and CEP membership.

Foreign Nationals in Prison and Probation Expert Network (FNPP) was addressed first in 2013. During the past years, the network has been very active: three workshops, a training on the CoE Recommendation, research on foreign national only prisons in Norway and The Netherlands, a presentation on outcomes to the CoE PC-CP plenary meeting, good practice collection and an e-learning module has been developed in cooperation with the CoE European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP). EuroPris and CEP organized also a webinar and expert conferences.

The aims of the Expert Network are wide, covering the objectives of organizations, statutory and voluntary, working with their nationals imprisoned and on community sanctions abroad as well as foreign nationals of other countries, imprisoned or on community sanctions in their country. These needs are complementary and produce a shared perspective with common objectives and purposes focused on effective rehabilitation and resettlement, and the reduction of the risk of reoffending, based on European and international instruments, guidance and recommendations with a human rights perspective. The CEP & EuroPris FNPP Expert Network works collaboratively to improve the management and resettlement of FNPPs in European prisons by assisting in the collection, sharing and dissemination of information that provides value to interested individuals and groups, and CEP and EuroPris members.

The purpose of the Expert Network is to promote better national regulation and best practices for foreign national prisoners in Europe through the exchange and dissemination of information on the policy, operational practice, training and management by prisons, probation and the voluntary sector regarding foreign offenders and prisoners.

More about the work of the network can be found on CEP and EuroPris website.

Membership

An expert network consists of 5 CEP, 5 EuroPris and founding members. The membership in the Expert Network is for 2 years with a possible extension for another 2 years. We are looking for a steady member of the Expert Network that will be part of the team and bring new knowledge, expertise, experience, and will, at the same time, be committed to the work of the Expert Network.

Travel and accommodation costs for participating in the face-to-face meeting once a year are reimbursed by CEP. Other costs related to the expert network shall be borne by the expert network member’s organization.

Basic criteria

• CEP membership (full, individual, associate) or in case you are not a CEP member the recommendation letter from the CEP member is required;
• a CV (preferably Europass format), a short letter of motivation (150 words maximum) including relevance of this topic for your country and nominee´s expertise and experience, and optionally, a recommendation letter from your organization (150 words max);
• an expertise in the field of work with foreign nationals in probation, commitment to international working groups, and appropriate time allocation for the tasks.

The responsibilities of expert network members are to:

• attend and actively participate at the expert network meetings (face-to-face or online);
• represent their jurisdiction on the topic of the expert network and benefit from broader European knowledge and expertise;
• report back to its agency (dissemination and promotion of the work and results);
• stay updated on the latest trends on the topic of the expert network and actively contribute to the development, implementation and optimization of the meetings, action plan during and in between the meetings;
• work between meetings to produce a specific common outcome such as guidelines, and mapping, among others – if needed;
• contribute to the professional development in the given topic;
• share knowledge, expertise, and information within their own jurisdiction;
• develop their professional skills and expertise;
• contribute to the development of specific topic-related events within the CEP work programme (webinars, workshops, conferences).

Please note that in the composition of an expert network aspects such as geography, gender, background and other relevant aspects shall be taken into consideration.

Deadline to submit your nomination

If you are interested in becoming a member of this Expert Network please submit a nomination on behalf of your jurisdiction/organization by 19 November 2023 on mirka@cep-probation.org.

For any additional questions please contact Ms. Mirka Jakesova.