ICPA: Advancing Correctional Standards: A Role for Correctional Professionals

ICPA: Advancing Correctional Standards: A Role for Correctional Professionals International Corrections and Prisons Association Ed Wozniak Executive Director, ICPA Salford University Centre for Prison Studies (SUCPS)

Scope of the Presentation

International Corrections and Prisons Association ICPA: WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO, WHAT WE STAND FOR.

ICPA: who we are • Founded in 1998, ICPA is a not-for-profit organization incorporated in Canada. Business offices are located in the United States and Scotland. • ICPA has a membership of 600+ in over 80 countries around the world. It is possibly the only truly international Association for practicing correctional professionals. • Membership is open to all practitioners, researchers, academics and persons with an active interest in corrections from all jurisdictions. It embraces the public and private, statutory and voluntary, and prison and community corrections’ sectors.

ICPA: who we are • a non-governmental organization in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC). • ICPA has a growing national level membership and has support from all continents and sectors of the correctional world. • ICPA includes most of the world’s leading prison Services such as Sweden, Denmark and Norway in Europe; Canada and the US State Department in North America; Japan, China, Singapore in Asia; New Zealand and the Australian States in Oceania; and Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana in Africa.

ICPA: who we are – expanding our membership and our influence “Affiliated Individual Membership” • a recognition of the differential costs of membership across jurisdictions; • a desire allow members from developing countries to join where it was previously financially difficult; • a desire to open our work to a wider audience of front-line staff; • to strengthen the Association; and • to increase member interaction.

ICPA: what we do • ICPA provides a forum for exchanging ideas, technology, and best practices among corrections professionals worldwide (www.icpa.ca). • ICPA connects with key players on all continents and so makes it an ideal global coordinating network on issues of penology and criminal justice. • ICPA advocates and campaigns for professionalism in the field of corrections and provides commentary where appropriate.

ICPA: what we do • ICPA has established and will continue to seek affiliation agreements with other organizations of like mission and values to engage in hands-on projects and program activities that serve to advance professionalism in corrections. • ICPA has close links with the UN, with the major national correctional Associations (e.g. ACA and ACSA), and with research bodies worldwide working in corrections and the criminal justice system more widely.

ICPA: what we do • It is currently working closely with the African Correctional Services Association (ACSA) and other donor organizations to develop a major programme of work in Africa and is actively pursuing similar ties to allow it to advance professional corrections in Latin America. • It provides technical assistance to jurisdictions where requested and where the request meets agreed criteria.

ICPA: what we stand for Shared Values • The enhancing of public safetyby the development of sound corrections and criminal justice policy. • The respect for the dignity of all individuals and the protection of their rights in accordance with the United Nations Standards and Norms in Criminal Justice, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. • The expansion and testing of the theoretical and empirical body of knowledgethat underpins professionalism in corrections. • The open and free sharing of ideas, knowledge, values and experiencethat is essential for sustained growth and development of all communities. • The importance of strong partnerships, built upon mutual respectand ongoing collaboration. • The recognition that sound correctional practicescontribute to the harmony, health, and prosperity of communities.

International Corrections and Prisons Association ICPA: A DECADE OF ACHIEVEMENT

Achievements • Most notable among ICPA’s recent achievements are: • First European Conference in Oslo, Norway attended by 80 people from 19 countries and resulting in an ICPA statement on the imprisonment of young people. • First African Regional Conference on safety and security through corrections in Abuja, Nigeria with 150 people representing 21 countries resulting in the adoption of a declaration of correctional reform – The Abuja Declaration - in Africa by the ICPA, UNDPKO, UNODC, ICRC, and DfID. • A revised Mission and Vision to take the Association forward until 2020 and a series of initiatives and Working Groups established to take us there. (Develop a rights-based policy in corrections; Assemble a code of ethics for corrections; Training & self-development: update ICPA Training Manual; Scan current key issues in corrections worldwide; Increase ICPA visibility and influence).

Achievements • A NATO Advanced Research Workshop held in Eilat, Israel on the subject of Human Rights and Terrorism. • A planned 2009 Latin American Regional Conference in collaboration with the Mexican and Argentinean Services to precede the ICPA 11th Annual General Meeting and Conference in Barbados • A revitalized website, with Members’ Forum, which currently has some 5,000 hits per month and which has a dedicated Spanish-speaking section. • several key documents (e.g. Manual for Peacekeeping Operations, Facility Planning Manual). • completed work in the Republic of Georgia, Barbados and various states in the Middle East.

Successful annual conferences have been held in these locations. ICPA Annual Conferences • Planned: • 2009 Bridgetown, Barbados • 2010 Gent, Belgium • 2011 Singapore • 2012 Mexico • Almost 400 participants from 60 jurisdictions, with some 40 Heads of Service. • 20 Plenary Speakers and • 65 Workshops covering almost every aspect of corrections • 2008 - Prague, Czech Republic • 2007 - Bangkok, Thailand • 2006 - Vancouver, Canada • 2005 - Edinburgh, Scotland • 2004 - Beijing, China • 2003 - Miami, Florida • 2002 - The Netherlands • 2001 - Perth, Australia • 2000 - Cape town, South Africa • 1999 - Budapest, Hungary

International Corrections and Prisons Association NEW HORIZONS:SUPPORTING PROFESSIONAL CORRECTIONS

Reality Check • Almost universally Prison Services are facing: • more prisoners; • fewer staff; • reduced budgets; • increased pressure toward evidencing human rights/compliance; • competition; • significant risks to effective delivery; and • increased expectations.

The correctional dilemma “…each and every prisoner in our care - no matter whether serving a sentence that is numbered in days or in decades or on community supervision - should expect and know that he or she will treated fairly and with dignity and respect. That during their confinement their safety and well-being will be ensured. That their physical and mental health will be maintained or improved. That their human rights will be upheld and that at a minimum they will be afforded the basic standards of decency and privacy….” • “Advancing Corrections” (ICPA Newsletter, Editorial)

The correctional dilemma “Delivering this agenda calls for one thing: dedicated and trained correctional staff…..none of us would disagree with the view that the most important person to the delivery of good corrections is the front line worker, whether in a prison or community setting. Senior staff may well influence the direction that each of our correctional Services takes but …. it is the front line staff that will have the greatest influence on our offenders and this is where our values play such a major role. We need staff not only to own our values but also to act them out on a daily basis.” • “Advancing Corrections” (ICPA Newsletter, Editorial)

The correctional dilemma “… prison staff are badly trained, poorly paid and don’t get any public respect.…” …I know of no one who, at the age of 16, told their parents and friends that they were going to find a ‘gap job’ until the time they could become a prison officer…..” “Understaffed, under-trained, under pressure. Uniformed staff are as frustrated and confused by management directives and performance as we the prisoners are”. “Nothing will change until staff and management’s attitude towards prisoners changes”. “It’s only a job to them. The quicker the staff are finished the better. They do not care and that is what’s wrong with the system.”

The correctional dilemma • Punishment; • Retribution; • Deterrence; • Incapacitation; • Rehabilitation; and • Treatment. The need for political and public awareness

The Need for an Ethical Context • Concern for the citizen and for the reputation of the organization; • Duty of compliance with legitimate authority, duty to report and duty of efficiency; • Duty of care; • Transparency; • Confidence in the service; and • Professional conduct and independence;

Response: “the Management of Our Brothers and Sisters” (Olosula Ogundipe) • The need for appropriate systems to ensure: • selection (personal qualities and technical skills); • training; • supervision; • remuneration; • clear Organisational Purpose and leadership; and • a sound Ethical Framework.

ICPA’s Role • Our approach will be to support, respond and collaboratein a practical way that makes best use of the social and intellectual capital that ICPA has among its members. To do this to maximum effect we will, wherever possible, collaborate and build partnerships with national prison and probation administrations and other partner and stakeholder agencies to harmonise our activities and to set a jointly-agreed direction for action.

Key Principles ICPA’S CENTRAL TENETS FOR CORRECTIONAL REFORM • the change process must be led from within and international agencies and partners should serve as a support to such processes; • any programme of reform must be based on an evidence-driven, practical approach that is outcome-focused; • all steps should be taken to ensure that there is close collaboration between the various agencies working to support justice and security sector reform and, wherever possible, the work of these agencies should be done in partnership; and • justice sector reform initiatives must acknowledge the crucial role played by correctional agencies in promoting community safety.

International Corrections and Prisons Association SOME PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

Some Personal Observations • The main agent of change in the correctional equation is the correctional/prison officer. • There needs to be a recognition that correctional reform operates against the backcloth of jurisdictions at various stages in social and economic development, moving at a different pace and facing some very unique, culturally endemic and, at times, overwhelming challenges; • The responsibility for driving and delivering change in corrections in the developing world is a responsibility for the developing world; • correctional reform is currently active in many parts of the developing world, driven forward by committed and visionary leadership;

Some Personal Observations • inter agency co-operation is a vital part of any reform process; • the reality of the corrections’ world (in the foreseeable future) is that there will always be too few people and too few resources available to address the problems; • to deliver any change there will need to be co-operation across agencies - not competition; • support need not only be financial or material; • the role for ICPA will be to call on its social and intellectual capital through providing correctional expertise;

Some Personal Observations • the ‘events’ mentality must be replaced by a ‘process’ mentality; • there needs to be a realism of what can be achieved and the timescales of achievement; • ‘organic’ solutions are more likely to be longer lasting than ‘mechanical’ ones; and • low costs solutions do not necessarily mean low impact solutions.

edwozniak@icpa.ca

ICPA: Advancing Correctional Standards: A Role for Correctional Professionals