Questions regarding how to improve the transitional phase from prison to
life in society after release have gained major importance in the last
decade in criminal policy. All over the world release preparation and
resettlement practice are discussed with the aim to reduce negative
effects of imprisonment and re-offending rates. Small and large reforms
aiming at the improvement of release processes and reintegration
strategies have taken place in many European states.
This book describes the current European landscape of prisoner
resettlement and brings together the results and ideas of leading
European academic experts with the ambition of furthering national,
European and international reform debates. This book presents national
reports about resettlement processes and structures in 20 European
countries: written by national scholars, these reports reveal important
actors in resettlement processes as well as political decisions about
the role of the communities in "taking the prisoners back", or the use
of early release as a strategy to motivate the released prisoner to
enter into a future without crime. Thematic chapters then concentrate on
several aspects of prisoner resettlement that are of importance across
borders: ethical, legal and practical challenges are discussed with a
view on European developments, and theoretical frameworks of prisoner
resettlement are used to develop comprehensive perspectives for future
reform debates.
The book serves as a fundamental source for researchers, politicians and
practitioners in the field of prison and probation reform and practice.
It is also useful in the field of social work, in so far that the
analyses confirm that prisoner resettlement is not just a problem of
criminal, but also of social justice. Sustainable reforms need the will
of and good cooperation between all responsible actors and organizations
from the justice, social, health and welfare sectors, as well as from
society as a whole in the consent for taking released prisoners back.
