Basic training manual for correctional workers: a collaborative international effort.

The Origin of an International Collaborative Project

In September 1993, the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme (ISPAC) met in Courmayeur, Italy. A resource committee was formed and called "Correctional Systems and Rights." One of the major projects to come out of that initial meeting was the development of a basic training manual for correctional workers. It was to be geared toward those nations that had not been able to develop their own standardized training program for line-level officers. Often, due to lack of professionals in their prison system or lack of funds, knowledge or political will, nations were not able to establish such a training program on their own.

The idea of preparing a manual for correctional workers originated from the awareness of the resource committee that a set of guidelines was necessary to reconcile two underlying principles of correctional systems around the world: the safeguarding of prisoner rights and the recognition of the role of prison officers. Correctional workers who have been given the means and skills proper to their jobs and who feel confident about what they have to do, will be fully enabled to deal with people in their charge in a fair and humane way.

The resource committee members were well aware that each country has its distinct legal and correctional system as well as cultural, economic and social features. This, together with the consciousness that a practical approach was needed to give correctional workers the effective means to do their jobs, led to the preparation of a manual that is both comprehensive and expandable in conception; it offers the foundations upon which modifications can be made by each correctional administration, taking into account its unique needs and characteristics.

Training programs and interviews with trainers from around the world were used to develop the manual. However, because each nation is unique in terms of its laws, policies, culture and customs, this manual must be considered a draft to be modified for use by each individual nation.

Involvement From Around the World

The original committee consisted of 16 members from Argentina, Canada, Finland, Japan, Italy, Lebanon, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States. Over time, the committee, as is common in all volunteer groups, grew and shrunk as careers and available time changed. The original chair, Luigi Daga, was killed in a terrorist shooting a few years after the project began, but by then he had laid a Firm base and the project continued.

As the initial draft of the manual was being developed, the committee found that reviews by individuals did not produce the in-depth input needed to ensure the material was relevant and practical. Therefore, ISPAC and other international organizations hosted multinational conferences in Barbados, Brazil, Egypt, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia and Uganda.

To further test the material, the basic draft manual was modified to incorporate the laws and culture of several nations, and those nations participated in detailed reviews of the work. As part of this effort, the manual was translated from English into Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and Somali. The 34 countries for which the basic manual was modified included Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, the Central Asian Republics, Granada, Malawi, Malta, Republika Surpska, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda.

As time went on, another organization, the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA), which had established a committee on correctional training and development, joined the effort. The professional nature of this group, dedicated specifically to international corrections, added many qualified professionals to the effort and provided a much greater opportunity for review and enhancement. In addition to the normally scheduled meetings, ICPA and other international bodies held special sessions to discuss the draft manual. These sessions took place in Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Hungary, Lebanon, Scotland, South Africa, Thailand and the United States.

A Detailed Review and Writing Process

At the beginning of 2004, ISPAC, with encouragement of U.N. personnel from the Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), undertook a major effort to update the manual and check it against applicable international standards. Seventy-four correctional trainers from 38 nations were sent copies of the lesson plans included in the manual and asked to review them for relevance and content. They also were asked to submit additional subjects and copies of their own lesson plans or relevant supplemental material. The University of Lleida in Spain carefully reviewed each of the lesson plans to ensure they were in compliance, in both form and spirit, with more than 35 international standards. They also prepared detailed references to the appropriate standards for all applicable lesson plans.

Although the draft of the manual has been completed, the review process is not finished. The current manual is a semi-final draft awaiting final editing of format, grammar, spelling, etc. It also has been sent to each of the previous reviewers and several others for comments, suggestions and recommended additions.

How the Manual Is Organized

Section I lists the basic training every person who supervises prisoners or detainees should be given. It provides a brief description of each section of the manual, an approximation of the minimum time necessary to teach it and any special notes about the activity.

Section II lists the minimum, on-going or annual training necessary for correctional personnel to maintain a minimum standard of proficiency. An article on conducting a training-needs assessment is included as a reminder that in training, as in all of corrections, the program must be tailored to the needs as they actually exist and the development of training should be based on those needs as identified through a specific and detailed process. Additional samples of training course summaries are included here.

Section III has sample training modules and lesson plans on certain items that should be taught in a consistent manner in all correctional systems. These include staff safety and human rights subjects. Included also, where appropriate, are the applicable international standards, sample post orders, mentoring guidelines and procedures, and alternate lesson plans.

Section IV contains information on the training of trainers and on training techniques, including the use of experienced staff as on-the-job trainers, mentors and coaches.

Section V presents information on testing mechanisms and processes. Section VI lists specific skills and traits necessary to be an effective correctional officer. Section VII provides the credits and an index of sources and references for material used in the manual. Section VIII contains information on various U.N. and other international standards that impact corrections.

Section IX offers supplemental information that may be useful to those working in special situations such as peacekeeping and peace building operations, areas with large ethnic or religious populations, working through interpreters, or other special challenges that must be considered by training developers when preparing their material.

Readers Are Invited to Review And Comment on the Draft Manual

Anyone interested in reviewing the draft can find it on the ISPAC Web site, www.ispac-italy.org, by selecting "What's New" and scrolling down to "ISPAC & ICPA Draft Basic Training Manual for Correctional Workers." The File is in MS Word format, so those who download it to use in their location/organization can add comments or make changes to fit their own needs.

Conclusion

Often those providing help and support to developing nations offer information, suggestions or material that is excellent in their own nation, but it may not be appropriate, without modification, for the nation they are attempting to help. This draft manual attempts to eliminate that problem by presenting the information in such a manner and with sufficient variety that it can easily be modified to fit local needs. It is an excellent example of prominent international experts providing help without being threatening or overpowering.

The Draft Training Manual for Correctional Workers is truly an effort begun and carried out by correctional practitioners. It is a voluntary commitment by more than 100 correctional professionals from every part of the world. The end product will be widely distributed, mostly by people downloading from ISPAC and other Web sites, and will be available without cost to all who can use it. The effort will not end when the final review and edit is completed but imstead is envisioned as an ongoing work-in-progress. As new information and material is obtained it will be included. As new techniques and realities enter corrections and impact corrections personnel, those subjects will be added, incorporating approaches from different parts of the world.

The nature of the collaborative effort is such that current and future correctional practitioners can become part of the effort by commenting on the material, offering suggestions for additional items to be included, and sending in copies of lesson plans or training and related information.

Gary Hill is president of CEGA Services Inc. and an international consultant in crime prevention, criminal justice and corrections.