30 April 2016 is a significant milestone of the project.
Before its implementation date was extended until 31 December 2016, April 30 was the planned end date of the project.
On 24 March 2016, LLC “Re&Re” finished the construction of the Addicted Centre (of the Latvian prison hospital) of Olaine prison within the deadline and scope envisaged in the contract. For the needs of the addicted inmates and their re-socialization, there are premises for group and individual activities, spacious classrooms and a gym, premises for storing things and equipment, as well as laundry and food distribution premises envisaged in the three blocks. Suitable premises are planned also for the staff. The living premises provide for accommodation of two hundred inmates, there are also premises for persons with special needs. Each of the eight sub-divisions of the centre has its own theme featuring specific colour shades. Special attention is given to modern security solutions.
Before putting the object into operation the territory adjacent to the centre has to be only landscaped, while the existing fencing has to be replaced with new one before opening the centre for its clients, which is planned in August this year. In May, the open procedure for equipment and inventory supply and installation will close, during the summer it is planned to fully equip the gym, classrooms and three sub-divisions; it is planned to open them immediately after the first clients will arrive. One of the sub-divisions will carry out assessment functions, the second one will operate in accordance with the methodology of the programme “Pathfinder” approved in Norway, and the third one – in accordance with the methodology of the programme “Atlantis” approved in Poland.
On April 4, a training cycle for the first group of the staff of the centre was finished in the Training Centre of the Prison Administration, and currently the Head of the centre, his/her deputy and twenty-three new specialists have a field practice. On May 2, the second group consisting of twenty-three officials selected by the staff selection commission will start a six-month training cycle in accordance with the programme developed for this purpose. At the moment specialists have already received consultations from their Norwegian partners regarding the work with the addicted inmates; Polish partners will also be invited for the similar task. To facilitate collaboration, communication is started with the non-governmental organizations.
In total, 451 specialists of the Prison Administration and State Probation Service have already acquired knowledge in various areas within the framework of the project, a large part of them participated in two and more seminars. Thus, the number of those who attended various educational activities within the framework of the project makes in total 743 participants. At the moment, several education activities such as a cycle of informative lectures which took place in various prisons, a cycle of classes for acquiring skills of motivated interviews, and a cycle of classes for acquiring risk and need assessment skills have ended. At the same time, a course for preparation of the coordinators for ensuring successful client selection has been started. In total, ten coordinators representing seven prisons and the central staff of the Prison Administration are involved in the selection.
There are work groups of specifically trained specialists organized for both preparation of the coordinators and the analysis of the approbation results of centre’s staff training program, as well as for the development of centre’s regulatory framework. On April 21, the Saeima approved the first reading of the appropriate amendments in the Law On The Sentence Execution Code of Latvia, in May draft project of special regulations of establishment envisaged for the management of the centre will be finished.
Apart from the above, the most important remaining activities are as follows: starting re-socialization activities for the clients in the newly built centre, client selection, including joining the state language courses during the selection process, research, as well as seminars for prison administration officials regarding the management of the social skills programme.
The selection of the staff of the centre is extended by 1 June 2016.
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