Education in Brussels’ prisons

EPEA Malta conferenceContribution Wim Ipers

She says: ‘by the tone of your last letter, you should get out more

Sint-Gillis

Sint-Gillis

Vorst

Berckendael

Sint-Gillis/Vorst/Berckendael

in a nutshell

• 1 of 29 Belgian centres for ‘basic’ education, state-funded

• Target group: adults with limited formal education• Different modular and certified courses:

Dutch for foreigners (NT2)/Literacy and numeracy in Dutch (NT1)/Basic maths/ICT/basic English and French/social topics

• Created in 1988, over 2000 students in 2011• Very extensive network

in prisons in a nutshell

• In Sint-Gillis since 1997, in Vorst since 1999, in Berckendael since 2012

• Till 2004 only literacy courses• Long strikes paralyzed work in Sint-Gillis from 2004

to 2007, Vorst courses continued• Since 2009 prison education coordinator: enormous

progress in number and scope of courses• Other schools now present, Brusselleer still pioneer

Some figures

• Statistieken pdf-file bureaublad 1997-20041998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

Prison capacity

7.333 7.462 7.436 8.092 8.311 8.226 8.829 8.930

Number of prisoners

8.176 8.688 8.605 9.249 9.573 9.804 10.501 11.107

men 7.861 8.330 8.248 8.861 9.170 9.353 10.082 10.664

women 315 358 357 388 403 451 419 443

Electronic surveillance

2 14 271 279 326 557 928 987

Some more figures

Sint-Gillis prison demands number start screening

numberafter screening

start End(certificate)

NT1(Literacy) 39 39 30 24 16

NT2 (Dutch for foreigners)

14 14 14 14 12

Cookery 54 48 14 10/8 9/7

Communication 34 30 9 8 7

ICT 66 59 15 11 7

what I did and do

• since 1998: literacy in Sint-Gillis, since 2001 also in Vorst

• From 2004-2007: literacy only in Vorst• since 2009: literacy and communication in

Sint-Gillis (In 2006 and 2008: theatre in Vorst)

Brusselleers‘ focus

• Each and every individual: tailor-made courses• Small is beautiful• We are not people behind bars• you are in, but will one day be out again

basic approach inmates

• encourage, encourage, encourage• make hidden wants and needs surface, turn

negative choice into positive• make participate and experience, not absorb

passively• make education inside resemble education

outside, normalisation• awaken positive potential

basic approach prison officers

• some education every day keeps the prison/punishment away

• education = work: equal pay• prisoners/prison officers: and/and, not or/or

(well-trained prison officers ease release)

Respect (from re-spicere:

to thoroughly look, to look again)

main obstacles

• inmates don’t vote• intricate decision-making process immobilizes • disciplinary measures, imprisoned in prison• high turnover: short, shorter, too short (=

detention prison, not prison for convicts)• Understaffing/

underpayment=undermotivation=resentment

main challenges

• better liaise with post-release education• improve relation to employment market

(Actiris’ vocational training)• attune to individual needs, curricula as tailor-

made as possible • actively promote 'inreach’

(families+community)• broaden horizon, improve skills teachers

Brussels’ future prison

Thank you very much!Grazzi!