Tackling Gaps in Cross-Border Cooperation for Penitentiary Training Academies

It is important that within the European Union correctional staff receive adequate training in order to ensure that fundamental rights of prisoners remain respected. This belief was re-enforced by the Council of Europe’s decision to establish common European Prison Rules in 1973. In 2010, the European Penitentiary Training Academies Network (EPTA) was founded by the heads of a number of European Penitentiary Staff Training Academies for the provision of a structure that can support the sharing of effective training methodologies and contents across Europe. The EPTA network has seen success as a result of the voluntary input from its members. Unfortunately, it lacks the structure and support of an independent professional network which is able to develop working methods and tools that may assist in long-term exchange and cooperation.

Our Aim

The Netherlands Helsinki Committee and EuroPris, in conjunction with National Training Academies across the EPTA, devised this project with the intention of creating a sustainable, professional and active ETPA network, which is able to tackle gaps in cross-border cooperation by stimulating participation and exchanges within the wider network. This, in turn, will allow existing and future European members to collectively benefit from the results.

To learn more about EPTA download the brochure here: EPTA Brochure

Project Implementation

Funder: European Commission

Partners: Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform (Ireland), Swedish Prison and Probation Service (Sweden), Ecole National d’Administration Penitentiare (France); Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwosci (Poland), European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services (the Netherlands)

Project period: May 2018 – April 2021

Budget: € 566.798