Reintegration after imprisonment as a human right – but what does that mean in practice?

Session Submission Type: Pre-arranged Panel

Abstract

This panel comprises four presentations revolving around the problem of reintegration of prisoners in the community after release. The point of departure is reintegration as human right and one of the main aims of punishment by imprisonment in continental Europe. While granting every prisoner the right to reintegrative or resocializing measures looks fine on paper, the practice of the criminal justice and the experience of stakeholders is not as clear-cut. We will look at experiences and attitudes towards reintegration in prisoners, prison staff and judges with four papers from Belgium and Germany.
Two papers will address the perspective of the prisoners: What are their problems before, during and after release? How does the experience of access to treatment, work and education as well as to prison leaves and furloughs influence the social climate amongst prisoners in an institution? The third paper will look at staff attitudes to relationships with and care for prisoners as a means to support reintegration efforts. The fourth paper will look at an outside group of stakeholders – judges in chambers for the execution of sentences who are responsible for early release decisions. How do they conceptualize resocialization efforts of a prisoner and weigh this against public safety?

Subtopic

• Topic 5: Social Control and Criminal Justice / Imprisonment, Prisons, Prison Life and Effects of Imprisonment (Prisons WG)

Chair

• Kirstin Drenkhahn, Freie Universität Berlin

Individual Presentations

• Examining reintegration challenges from prison in Belgium: A study across various life domains focusing on perspectives before, during and after detention - Leen Vandevelde, Vrije Universiteit Brussel/University of Antwerp; Dorien Brosens, Vrije Universiteit Brussel; Louis Favril, Ghent University; Peter Raeymaeckers, University of Antwerp

• The Role of Resocialization for the Social Climate of Prisons from Prisoners’ Perspective - Kristina Lewandowski, University of Berlin

• Approaches to care among prison officers in Germany - Deborah Kant, Universität zu Köln

• Judicial decision making and prognosis – The conflict of security and resocialisation in matters of early release - Ronja Maria Ahlers, University of Berlin