Managing Foreign National Prisoners | EuroPris (3 hours)

Good Practice examples for Working with Foreign National Prisoners

The examples are split into 6 divisions which, except for '02 Sentencing', correspond to the chapters in the E-Learning Module.

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European Organisations Supporting Foreign Nationals in Prison and on Probation

There are a number of organisations in European countries, both statutory and voluntary, who work with foreign national prisoners in custody and in the community in their country. If you are aware of additional organisations not included in this table, please let us know for inclusion, secretariat@europris.org

European Groups working with their nationals imprisoned abroad

There are a number of organisations in European countries that provide services to their nationals imprisoned abroad and their families. Several of these organisations are members of the EuroPris & CEP Foreign Nationals in Prison & Probation Network, contact secretariat@europris.org.

Obtain Module Slides

Below you can have access to every slide in the Managing Foreign Nationals Prisoners Course by obtaining the screenshots.

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“Resources for Working with Foreign National Prisoners in Europe”

E-Learning Module learners are directed to the webpage below on the EuroPris website where they can obtain supporting information.

https://www.europris.org/resources-for-working-with-foreign-national-prisoners-in-europe/

This information may also be accessed below, you just need to know the Chapter and slide number where the link was located.

Chapter: Welcome

Slide: 5 of 5

Council of Europe Recommendations on Foreign Prisoners 2012(12) with examples of promising practices were available: This link is to show you what is available on the Resources webpage in general.

Chapter 3: Prison Regime Improvement

Slide: 3 of 16 "Positive Discrimination and Specific Needs"

Council of Europe Recommendations on Foreign Prisoners 2012(12) with examples of promising practices were available: See Recommendation Rec (2006)2 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the European Prison Rules; 

https://www.coe.int/en/web/human-rights-rule-of-law/european- prison-rules

Chapter 4: Contact with the Outside World

Slide: 7 of 19 "Family and Friends" page

Council of Europe Recommendations on Foreign Prisoners 2012(12) with examples of promising practices were available:

5 22.2 Principles and Initiatives 

Unless there is a specific concern in individual cases related to safety and security, foreign prisoners shall be allowed to use a language of their choice during such contacts.

5 22.3 Principles and Initiatives 

Rules for making and receiving telephone calls and other forms of communication shall be applied flexibly to ensure that foreign prisoners who are communicating with persons abroad have equivalent access to such forms of communication as other prisoners. Examples; England & Wales; from HMP Huntercombe ‘Prisoner Voicemail’, private provider funded by prisoners’ family, no direct cost to prisoners or prison. Contributes to the maintenance of family contact. Estonia; All prisoners including foreigners have the right to use the phone and call family members and others. There is also the possibility to call abroad.

5 22.4 Principles and Initiatives 

Indigent foreign prisoners shall be assisted with the costs of communicating with the outside world.

5 22.5 Principles and Initiatives 

In order to optimise contact, visits to foreign prisoners from family members who live abroad shall be arranged in a flexible manner, which may include allowing prisoners to combine their visit entitlements. 

Examples: 

Sweden: They offer apartments or rooms for visits inside our prisons and we give the foreign prisoners priority to use these when needed för family travelling far we also give them extra time.

Estonia; Prison enables longer than the 24-hour long-time visits for prisoners whose loved ones are living in another country, and visiting is expensive and/or time-consuming.

5 22.6 Principles and Initiatives 

Support and information shall be provided to the extent possible to enable family members who live abroad to visit foreign prisoners.

5 22.7 Principles and Initiatives 

Special measures shall be taken to encourage and enable foreign prisoners to maintain regular and meaningful contact with their children. Example; England & Wales; HMP Huntercombe Day-long family visits arranged for foreign prisoners so that they can spend a full day with family members who have travelled long distances, including from overseas, to visit. They can eat together, and support is provided to facilitate children in activities with their parents.

5 22.8 Principles and Initiatives 

Arrangements shall be made to facilitate visits, correspondence and other forms of communication by children with their imprisoned parent when they live in a different State. Examples: Sweden: They work hard with the children’s rights to their parents and always with consideration of what is best for the child/children.

5 22.9 Principles and Initiatives 

The authorities shall endeavour to ensure that foreign prisoners are able to inform family members about the prison or another facility in which they are held or to which they have been transferred.

22.10 Principles and Initiatives 

In cases of emergency and where the foreign prisoner has given prior consent, the prison authorities shall endeavour to inform family members of the death, serious illness or serious injury of such a prisoner. Example: Estonia; Each prisoner is given a prison contact person. Prison will also have contact information about a prisoner’s family members. Where appropriate, the prison contact person will communicate with the prisoner’s family members. It is also possible for family members to contact the prison contact person when it is necessary to inform the prisoner about extraordinary occasions (i.e. death of a family member, serious health matters). 

5 22.11 Principles and Initiatives 

The authorities shall endeavour to keep up to date contact details of family members of foreign prisoners. Example: England &Wales: ‘Prison Voice Project’ at Huntercombe Prison; 2 initiatives to maintain family contacts, (1) using a private provider, Prison Voicemail, to facilitate prisoner’s families leaving ‘Voicemail’ messages’ for foreign prisoners from callers abroad. Assist to family contacts being maintained. (2) Full-Day visits permitted for families of foreign prisoners given their especially long, often international, journeys to attend. Meals are taken together normalizing visits as far as practical.

5 23.1 Principles and Initiatives 

Foreign prisoners shall be allowed to keep themselves informed regularly of public affairs by subscribing to newspapers, periodicals or other publications in a language they understand. Example: Estonia; All detainees including foreigners, can subscribe to newspapers and journals (except for prohibited content). Newspapers and magazines can be in the prisoner’s mother tongue.

5 23.2 Principles and Initiatives 

To the extent possible, foreign prisoners shall be given access to radio or television broadcasts or other forms of communication in a language they understand. 

Example: 

Estonia; Prisoners can watch Estonian, Russian, and German- language channels on television

5 23.3 Principles and Initiatives 

Probation agencies, approved associations, and volunteers providing support to foreign prisoners shall be given access to such prisoners who wish to have contact with them.

5 24.1 Consular Representatives 

Foreign prisoners have the right to regular contact with their consular representatives. 

Example: 

Estonia; Foreign detainees always have the possibility to ask for contact information of their embassy from their contact person or any prison officer. Representatives of the embassy can come to prison to have a visit with the prisoner.

5 24.2 Consular Representatives 

Foreign prisoners shall be given reasonable facilities to communicate with their consular representatives.

5 24.3 Consular Representatives 

Foreign prisoners who are without consular representation in the country in which they are detained have the right to regular contact and to facilities to communicate with representatives of the State which takes charge of their interests.

5 24.4 Consular Representatives 

Foreign prisoners who are refugees, asylum seekers or stateless have the right to communicate with representatives of the national or international authorities whose task it is to serve the interests of such prisoners.

5 25.1 Consular Representatives 

Prison authorities shall inform foreign prisoners about their right to request contact with their consular representatives or representatives of national or international authorities whose task it is to serve their interests.

5 25.2 Consular Representatives 

Prison authorities shall, subject to the prisoner’s request, inform consular representatives about their nationals held in prison.

5 25.3 Consular Representatives 

Prison authorities shall cooperate fully with consular representatives and national or international authorities whose task is to serve the interests of foreign prisoners.

5 25.4 Consular Representatives 

Prison authorities shall keep a record of instances where foreign prisoners waive their right to contact their consular representatives and of visits by consular representatives to foreign prisoners.

Slide: 11 of 19 "Legal & Social Support" page

5 22.1 Principles and Initiatives 

To alleviate the potential isolation of foreign prisoners, special attention shall be paid to the maintenance and development of their relationships with the outside world,  page including contacts with family and friends, consular representatives, probation and community agencies and volunteers. See files; 

‘European Groups working with their national imprisoned abroad: August 2018’ 

‘Dutch International Office Information Sheet 2018’ 

‘Dutch Probation International Office Report Sept. 2017 Onderzoek RN Bureau Buitenland’

Chapter 5: Resettlement and rehabilitation issues

Slide: 3 of 12 “Access to programmes” then ‘Rehabilitation Programmes’ button, says ‘Further information in the Norway country page in’:

Council of Europe Recommendations on Foreign Prisoners 2012(12) with examples of promising practice were available: Example: Norway: Pilot Project for foreign inmates in Kongsvinger (Foreign prisoner only) prison from 2016 –‘Planning For Resettlement’. Background to project initiation; The Pilot Project’s goal was ‘To provide foreign inmates with further knowledge, insight and tools that can contribute to a better reintegration, independent of the destination after release’. The law is for everyone: what can be done for foreign inmates? A need for services aimed specifically at foreign inmates. Is there something we already have? Work as a” return adviser” in 2015 caused the further development of an idea. A need for an increased activity-level at Kongsvinger prison, supported by the management. It needs to be about reintegration. Target group – foreign inmates. Criteria for participation in the pilot project: Inmate does not participate in work, education or any other activity A remaining sentence duration of at least two weeks from starting the group Basic knowledge of the English language The selection criteria were expanded to also include those who were active in work or education but wanted to participate after hearing from others about the groups. The groups of 3 to four prisoners ran for 10 sessions, were run in English and comprised groups of multinational prisoners.

Chapter 6: Staff Matters

Slide: 4 of 21 “Staff Selection” page ’Promising practice’ button, then ‘Promising practice from The Netherlands’

Council of Europe Recommendations on Foreign Prisoners 2012(12) with examples of promising practice when available: 

7 38.0 Staff Selection 

Persons who work with foreign prisoners shall be selected on criteria that include cultural sensitivity, interaction skills, and linguistic abilities. 

Example: The Netherlands; Direct recruitment at Ter Apel Prison when it changed the role to only hold foreign prisoners. While retaining and retraining existing staff, additional staff were recruited directly from the public from a diverse range of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and with linguistic abilities to better reflect the prison’s new role and population. 

Further information: t.bagchus@dji.minjus.nl

Slide: 14 of 21 “Staff Training” page ’Promising practice’ button then ‘Promising practice from Norway’

Council of Europe Recommendations on Foreign Prisoners 2012(12) with examples of promising practice when available: 

7 39.2 Staff Training 

Persons who work with foreign prisoners shall be trained to respect cultural diversity and to understand the problems faced by such prisoners. 

Examples: 

Denmark: 2015 Report on Nyborg Prison’s Departure/Deportation Wards (Units). This report, in English, looks at the two Departure Sections of Nyborg Prison which has a capacity of up to 28 men. This comprehensive report includes sections on; Further Information from Project Officer Tina Isling, Project Owner Annette Esdorf or from Henrik.Marker@kriminalforsorgen.dk. See file, 5.27.4a Report on Nyborg Prison, Denmark 

Norway: 2 initiatives; 

(i) Four-day programme for the professional development of staff working with foreign prisoners; 1st-day information on Afghanistan, 2 nd day of cross-cultural understanding, 3rd on motivational interviewing and 4th on human trafficking, modern-day slavery and the identification of victims. 

(ii) In development, raising staff competency in observing, identifying & sharing self -generated knowledge from their specialist role. Programme acknowledging professional development in new practice area needs to build on staff-groups skills & knowledge combined with external support & contribution. National-only) 

Prison Kristin Opaas Haugli, Reintegration coordinator /Adviser Kristin.Opaas.Haugli@kriminalomsorg.no 

and Ploeg Gerhard (KDI) Gerhard.Ploeg@kriminalomsorg.no

Slide: 19 of 21 “3 Staff Specialisation” page ‘Creation of specific posts for prison staff’ button – ‘Promising Practice: HMPPS England & Wales, says ‘For further information’: Council of Europe Recommendations on Foreign Prisoners 2012(12) with examples of promising practice when available: 

Council of Europe Recommendations on Foreign Prisoners 2012(12) with examples of promising practice when available:

7 40.0 Specialist Roles 

Appropriately trained specialists shall be appointed to engage in work with foreign prisoners and to liaise with the relevant agencies, professionals, and associations on matters related to such prisoners. Example: HMPPS England & Wales; foreign prisoners are identified as a particularly vulnerable group who require support and care. The delegation of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture observed the positive practice of appointing a dedicated foreign prisoner officer, who could meet and provide advice to each new foreign national and serve as a point of reference. Further, concerted efforts being made to provide foreign nationals with clear information on immigration procedures, through surgeries and information packs, are to be encouraged. It is not a mandatory requirement to have a dedicated foreign prisoners officer, though, with a foreign prisoner population in England & Wales of 12%, many do.

Further information:  Adrian.Chen@noms.gsi.gov.uk

Slide: 20 of 21 “A Role of foreign prisoners assisting other foreign prisoners?” ‘Promising practice: Foreign prisoner orderlies’; says ‘For further information: 

Council of Europe Recommendations on Foreign Prisoners 2012(12) with examples of promising practice when available: 

7 41.0 Policy Evaluation 

The authorities shall regularly evaluate their policies for dealing with foreign suspects and offenders on the basis of scientifically validated research and revise them where appropriate. 

Examples: Denmark: 2015 Report on Nyborg Prison’s Departure/Deportation Wards (Units). This report, in English, looks at the two Departure Sections of Nyborg Prison which has a capacity of up to 28 men. Further Information from Project Officer Tina Isling, Project Owner Annette Esdorf or from Henrik.Marker@kriminalforsorgen.dk See report, 5.27.4a Report on Nyborg Prison Denmark.

 England & Wales: The St Giles Trust, a charity, has evaluated the impact of their first foreign national ‘Peer Advisor Scheme’ at HMP Huntercombe, a foreign national only prison. Serving prisoners were trained to become qualified advice workers, able to provide immigration and resettlement advice to their fellow prisoners. The results of the 2-year programme will be of interest to those shaping resettlement services for foreign prisoners in other prisons. The St Giles Trust won the Robin Corbett Award for Prisoner Rehabilitation for its work at HMP Huntercombe. 

Further Information from The St Giles Trust and Report https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/misc/

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