On 23-24 November 2022 CEP and EuroPris organized the second edition of the joint Workshop on Interagency Cooperation in Bucharest, Romania. The aim of the workshop was to increase awareness of the need for interagency cooperation and to find solutions supporting this agenda. Within the two days, eighteen speakers representing ten EU jurisdictions from prison, probation, NGOs, university and training academy shared their knowledge and experience on working together towards successful reintegration and rehabilitation of offenders.  

The workshop was attended by 72 participants from 16 EU jurisdictions that came together to discuss how time in prison can be used constructively to safeguard the transition to society, what specific needs must be addressed, how probation, treatment facilities and others are involved and how they follow up on the work of prison. The workshop session focused on solutions for specific groups, such as the Roma community, persons with mental disorders, drug-addicted, etc. 

On the first day, 6 plenary presentations and 2 workshop sessions took place. The first presentation delivered by Ms. Iuliana Carbunaru and Mr. Dan Halchin provided the participants with an overview of how the probation and prison system works in Romania, what is in place for interagency cooperation, services provided by both prison and probation, and also what is missing on interagency cooperation. Colleagues from Estonia, Ms. Liisa Tarkus and Mr. Ivo Kitsing, shared how the Estonian Prison Service cooperates within prison, probation and other agencies, as well as what specific intervention Estonia offers to young inmates and which stakeholders are involved. Dr. Chris Cremona from the Correctional Services Agency of Malta shared the path from identifying challenges faced on discharge, setting standards, identifying major standards on discharge, and setting up an action plan to establishing standards of practice in order to plan and provide an effective discharge. Ms. Rita Lourenco representing a Social Solidarity Cooperation Aproximar, Portugal, presented a methodology of the MOBI project to engage civil society organisations in the reintegration process of offenders with a focus on target groups, mission, developing programs, methodologies, etc. In the end, she shared case studies that provided participants with knowledge of how the programs work in practice. Ms. Iuliia Paskevska, Head of the Association of Psychological Assistance Specialists, talked about the challenges and specificities of interagency cooperation, new projects and the latest developments in Ukrainian prison and probation systems. The last plenary presentation was delivered by Ms. Nadejda Burciu from the Ministry of Justice of Moldova who focused on the latest developments, current policies and practices including challenges and planning strategy for setting the agenda for changes. The presentation represented a synthesis of all the analytical work conducted before-during-and-after the interagency workshop. 

The two workshop sessions discussed, among others, on indicators for a successful interagency cooperation in the preparation of a gradual release in Finland (by Ms. Pia Andersson and Mr. Aki Saarinen), challenges and best practices in interagency cooperation in Romania (by Mr. Iosif Csatlos-Dima and Ms. Ana Voiculet), Croatian model of Roma mentors (by Ms. Vesna Zelic Ferencic and Ms. Martina Rakic) and the extraordinary impact of prison sentences on Roma women in Italy (by Ms. Claudia Pecorella and Dr. Marianna Grimaldi).  

On the second day of the workshop Ms. Sabrina Reggers from the Family Justice Centre in Limburg, Belgium, presented on a multi-agency and systemic approach to domestic violence, goals, activities and client-focused services offered and information sharing among agencies. The presentation delivered by Ms. Natasa Savvopoulou from the Cyprus National Addictions Facility discussed the experience with the implementation of a drug treatment and rehabilitation order, explaining the process of the issuance of a court order treatment and rehabilitation, and providing elaborate information on the interagency cooperation needed from the moment the case appears before the court to the time of treatment completion and charge dismissal by the court. Mr. Mihai Enache from Terre des Hommes, Romania, presented the results of the first stage of the project PRECISION, as well as the lessons learned within the course of the project focused on addressing the needs of youth and children´s detainees, supporting their skills’ development, providing them access to a broader range of activities including sports, promoting their sense of dignity, promoting their reintegration and constructive role in society as well as strengthening of the detention staff’s skills. 

Presentations

• Iuliana Carbunaru and Dan Halchin, Probation and Prison in Romania: with interagency cooperation toward reintegration, Romania
• Ivo Kitsing and Liisa Tarkus, From prison into society with the uninterrupted flow, Estonia
• Chris Cremona, Easing Inmates’ Transition to the Community, Malta
• Rita Lourenço and Tiago Cardoso Leitão, Methodology to engage civil society organisations in the CJS, Portugal
• Iuliia Paskevska, Specificity and challenges in interagency cooperation, Ukraine
• Nadia Burciu, Social Reintegration of Released Prisoners, Moldova
• Sabrina Reggers, Family Justice Center Limburg: a systemic approach to domestic violence, Belgium
• Natasa Savvopoulou, The key for the successful implementation of trial stage alternatives to incarceration for offenders with substance abuse issues. Lessons learned and the way forward, Cyprus
• Mihai Enache, Precision project, France

Workshops

Workshop A

• Iosif Csatlos and Ana Voiculet, Challenges and best practices in interagency cooperation, Romania
• Pia Andersson and Aki Saarinen, Indicators for a successful interagency cooperation in the preparation of a gradual release from prison, Finland

Workshop B

• Claudia Pecorella and Marianna Grimaldi, ‘The extraordinary impact of prison sentences on Roma women’, Italiy
• Vesna Ferencic and Martina Rakic, Roma mentors in Croatia, Croatia

Press release published by the Ministry of Justice, Romania, click here

More about Interagency cooperation, click here