Digital Rehabiliation in Prisons
Date
2024-03-10
Authors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
ISSN
DOI
Volume Title
Publisher
UNICRI
Type
Technical Report
Peer reviewed
Yes
Abstract
This report examines the potential benefits and risks of introducing new technologies in prisons to facilitate prisoner rehabilitation. It aims to assist policymakers, practitioners, and those responsible for the design and delivery of rehabilitative programmes to understand how to leverage technologies to support prisoner rehabilitation in an effective and ethical way.
Access UNICRI's webpages for the report here: https://unicri.it/Publication-Digital-Rehabilitation-Prisons
Description
This report provides guidance across three broad areas:
• The ethical principles that should guide the use of digital rehabilitation in prisons;
• Planning for the development, implementation, and continuing provision of digital resources to support rehabilitation; and
• The applications and systems that can be used to support rehabilitation, reduce reoffending, and promote desistance.
Part I of the report sets out the ethical, methodological and practice framework and includes four chapters: Ethical Principles, Methodology, Understanding Digital Rehabilitation and Developing a Digital Rehabilitation Strategy. Part II examines the different forms of digital rehabilitation comprising of Education and Vocational Training, Self-Service, Treatment and Behaviour Change, Re-entry, Family Contact and Support, and Staff Engagement and Training. Part III concludes the report by setting out some of the Next Steps in the journey towards digital rehabilitation.
This report builds on the Background Paper prepared for the Workshop on “Reducing reoffending: identifying risks and developing solutions” at the 14th United Nations Congress on Crime. The Background Paper noted that technological advancements offer new opportunities for prisons to deliver education programmes to prisoners, while the widespread use of electronic devices provides a cost-effective solution for prison-based services.
While digital rehabilitation necessarily involves some engagement with digital resources and services (computers, tablets, video-conferencing suites, e-learning systems), it should not be assumed that digital rehabilitation is only possible if jurisdictions make costly investments in digital infrastructure, including equipment and architecture. Many of the examples in this report involve the use of the same digital platforms that have become a part of everyday life. The intention of this report is to present guidelines and options that will enable prison agencies, at different levels of digital maturity, to select a development pathway appropriate to their needs and those of the people in their custody.
Keywords
digital, rehabilitation, prisons, strategy
Citation
UNICRI (2024) Digital Rehabiliation in Prisons, UNICRI