Attending the festival LAMPA in Cēsis has become an awaited annual tradition in summer. Also this year, organizers of the festival which took place from 28 to 30 June 2019 have made a versatile and extensive program – various festival activities, reflections, discussions and conversations will take place on the theme “Courage”. At the festival the new Norway Grants period of 2014-2021 will be opened. Celebrating its launch, six Latvian Norway Grants programme operators in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and the partners of the donor country will organize thematic activities, conversations and discussions in the Tent of Opportunities. At a time when tops of the most popular professions are created regularly and some of the most prestigious occupations of the future are identified, the question of what criteria today determine choosing a profession in the areas which are necessary beyond dispute is becoming twice as interesting, however, their prestige in the society is evaluated ambiguously. Under the supervision of Latvian Prison Administration, nine prisons are currently operating in the whole Latvia and are taking care of public safety in 24/7 regime, including a prison in Cēsis – in the town of the festival. But, how much do we really know these quiet neighbours? What exactly does working in prison mean and what reforms in this sector are expected in Latvia in the near future?
The Ministry of Justice in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, Latvian Prison Administration and the Directorate of Norwegian Correctional Services on 28 June 2019 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. in Cēsis in the Tent of Opportunities host a conversation “Working in Prison – Misunderstanding or Courage?”.
Representatives of various professions and industry experts from Latvia and Norway, who work with offenders, will share their experience of working in prisons. The conversation will provide an insight into the process of training Latvian and Norwegian prison staff, and will focus on the changes in the training system of Latvian prison staff in the nearest future.
Participants in the conversation: Dace Konošonoka, Head of the Training Centre of Latvian Prison Administration, Vladimir Virlans, Senior Lecturer in the Training Centre of Latvian Prison Administration, Dmitrijs Kaļins, Chief of Olaine Prison, Vita Multiņa, Chief Inspector of Olaine Addiction Centre, and Andris Pāže Head of Cēsis Educational Institution for Minors. Andreas Berger Bjerkestrand, Officer of Romerike Prison in Norway, will also share his experience; he has been a mentor at Romerike Prison since 2017 and works with future prison officers — trainees.
The participants of the conversation, together with the moderator Aivis Ceriņš, will explain how colleagues with long-term experience and those who have made a recent decision on a career in the industry look at working in prison. Every visitor of the festival will also have the opportunity to watch demonstrations of Latvian Prison Administration and to get involved in playing out situations to ‘explore’ their physical and psychological suitability to working in prison.
Looking forward to seeing you at the festival!
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