GOLDEN THREAD
PROJECT

Building Family Bonds and Parenting Skills as a Means to Reduce Recidivism in European Prisons

Description:


The Golden Thread project is a European project, lasting 30 months (2022-2024) implemented in four countries (Poland, Portugal, Cyprus and Greece) with the co-financing of the European Program Erasmus+.

The project, recognizing the importance of the family in the reintegration process of prisoners, aims to strengthen the family ties of prisoners and support their family members, taking into account that strong family ties contribute to the prevention of delinquency.

As part of the project, a support methodology is developed, which includes research, training and empowerment activities for both prisoners and their families.

The ultimate goal of the project is the successful inclusion of ex-prisoners in the economic, social and cultural life of their community.

Activities:


  • Research activities: Through secondary research (literature review) and primary research (questionnaires, interviews and focus groups with prisoners, their family members and correctional professionals) the current needs of prisoners and their families regarding the maintenance of family ties,
  • Training activities for prisoners: These are actions related to the development of educational content and the implementation of educational workshops aimed at prisoners. The training aims to develop knowledge and skills to strengthen and improve their relationships with their families,
  • Activities to strengthen families: This is the implementation of Prisoner Family Support Groups, which aim to strengthen them in order to improve their family relationships both during the serving of the sentence and for the period after release,
  • Activities to disseminate the results of the project: It is the creation of a Guide that will include the background, methodology and detailed description of the actions and results of the project. The Guide will be addressed to organizations in the field of Penitentiary Policy who wish to be informed about the project and benefit from its results, in the future, by implementing similar actions

Results:


  • Educational curriculum and content to train prisoners in skills related to family, parenting and communication,
  • Training program for prisoners on topics such as Personal Development, Empathy, Social Skills, Basic Needs of Children and Adolescents and Communication,
  • Family Support Groups where, through a series of group meetings, prisoners’ family members discuss the issues that concern them,
  • The Project Guide which includes the analysis of the project approach and its results for future use.

Partners:

 
  1. University of Lodz (Poland)
  2. Aproximar (Portugal)
  3. Athens Lifelong Learning Institute (Greece)
  4. Theological School of the Church of Cyprus (Cyprus)
  5. Frame (Poland)

More Information

Date of the Project:

2022 - 2024

Funding programme:

Erasmus +, Key Action 02

Tags:

Prison Education, Erasmus+, Adult education, Criminal Justice System, Parental skills, Support Groups, Human rights, Social integration

Contact:

xchalatsis@athenslifelonglearning.gr

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