ICPA: Advancing Correctional
Standards: A Role for
Correctional Professionals
International Corrections
and Prisons Association
Ed Wozniak
Executive Director, ICPA
Salford University Centre for Prison Studies (SUCPS)
Scope of the Presentation
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International Corrections
and Prisons Association
ICPA: WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO,
WHAT WE STAND FOR.
ICPA: who we are
Founded in 1998, ICPA is a not-for-profit organization
incorporated in Canada. Business offices are located in the
United States and Scotland.
ICPA has a membership of 600+ in over 80 countries around
the world. It is possibly the only truly international
Association for practicing correctional professionals.
Membership is open to all practitioners, researchers,
academics and persons with an active interest in corrections
from all jurisdictions. It embraces the public and
private, statutory and voluntary, and prison and
community corrections’ sectors.
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ICPA: who we are
a non-governmental organization in Special Consultative
Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United
Nations (ECOSOC).
ICPA has a growing national level membership and has
support from all continents and sectors of the correctional
world.
ICPA includes most of the world’s leading prison Services such
as Sweden, Denmark and Norway in Europe; Canada and
the US State Department in North America; Japan,
China, Singapore in Asia; New Zealand and the
Australian States in Oceania; and Nigeria, South
Africa and Ghana in Africa.
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ICPA: who we are – expanding our
membership and our influence
“Affiliated Individual Membership”
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a recognition of the differential costs of membership across
jurisdictions;
–
a desire allow members from developing countries to join where
it was previously financially difficult;
–
a desire to open our work to a wider audience of front-line staff;
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to strengthen the Association; and
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to increase member interaction.
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ICPA: what we do
ICPA provides a forum for exchanging ideas, technology, and
best practices among corrections professionals worldwide
(www.icpa.ca).
ICPA connects with key players on all continents and so makes
it an ideal global coordinating network on issues of penology
and criminal justice.
ICPA advocates and campaigns for professionalism in the field
of corrections and provides commentary where appropriate.
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ICPA: what we do
ICPA has established and will continue to seek affiliation
agreements with other organizations of like mission and
values to engage in hands-on projects and program
activities that serve to advance professionalism in
corrections.
ICPA has close links with the UN, with the major
national correctional Associations (e.g. ACA and ACSA),
and with research bodies worldwide working in
corrections and the criminal justice system
more widely.
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ICPA: what we do
It is currently working closely with the African
Correctional Services Association (ACSA) and other
donor organizations to develop a major programme of
work in Africa and is actively pursuing similar ties to
allow it to advance professional corrections in Latin
America.
It provides technical assistance to jurisdictions where
requested and where the request meets agreed criteria.
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ICPA: what we stand for
Shared Values
The enhancing of public safety by the development of sound corrections and criminal
justice policy.
The respect for the dignity of all individuals and the protection of their rights in
accordance with the United Nations Standards and Norms in Criminal Justice,
including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The expansion and testing of the theoretical and empirical body of knowledge that
underpins professionalism in corrections.
The open and free sharing of ideas, knowledge, values and experience that is
essential for sustained growth and development of all communities.
The importance of strong partnerships, built upon mutual respect and ongoing
collaboration.
The recognition that sound correctional practices contribute to the harmony, health,
and prosperity of communities.
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International Corrections
and Prisons Association
ICPA: A DECADE OF ACHIEVEMENT
Achievements
Most notable among ICPA’s recent achievements are:
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First European Conference in Oslo, Norway attended by 80
people from 19 countries and resulting in an ICPA statement on
the imprisonment of young people.
–
First African Regional Conference on safety and security through
corrections in Abuja, Nigeria with 150 people representing 21
countries resulting in the adoption of a declaration of
correctional reform – The Abuja Declaration - in Africa by the
ICPA, UNDPKO, UNODC, ICRC, and DfID.
–
A revised Mission and Vision to take the Association forward
until 2020 and a series of initiatives and Working Groups
established to take us there. (Develop a rights-based policy in
corrections; Assemble a code of ethics for corrections; Training & selfdevelopment: update ICPA Training Manual; Scan current key issues in
corrections worldwide; Increase ICPA visibility and influence).
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Achievements
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A NATO Advanced Research Workshop held in Eilat, Israel on the
subject of Human Rights and Terrorism.
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A planned 2009 Latin American Regional Conference in
collaboration with the Mexican and Argentinean Services to
precede the ICPA 11th Annual General Meeting and Conference
in Barbados
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A revitalized website, with Members’ Forum, which currently has
some 5,000 hits per month and which has a dedicated Spanishspeaking section.
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several key documents (e.g. Manual for Peacekeeping
Operations, Facility Planning Manual).
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completed work in the Republic of Georgia, Barbados and
various states in the Middle East.
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ICPA Annual Conferences
Successful annual conferences have
been held in these locations.
2008 - Prague, Czech Republic
2007 - Bangkok, Thailand
Planned:
•
•
•
•
2009
2010
2011
2012
Bridgetown, Barbados
Gent, Belgium
Singapore
Mexico
2006 - Vancouver, Canada
2005 - Edinburgh, Scotland
2004 - Beijing, China
2003 - Miami, Florida
2002 - The Netherlands
2001 - Perth, Australia
2000 - Cape town, South Africa
1999 - Budapest, Hungary
Almost 400 participants from 60 jurisdictions,
with some 40 Heads of Service.
20 Plenary Speakers and
65 Workshops covering almost every aspect of
corrections
International Corrections
and Prisons Association
NEW HORIZONS:
SUPPORTING PROFESSIONAL
CORRECTIONS
Reality Check
Almost universally Prison Services are facing:
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more prisoners;
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fewer staff;
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reduced budgets;
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increased pressure toward evidencing human rights/compliance;
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competition;
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significant risks to effective delivery; and
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increased expectations.
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The correctional dilemma
“…each and every prisoner in our care - no matter whether
serving a sentence that is numbered in days or in decades or
on community supervision - should expect and know that he
or she will treated fairly and with dignity and respect. That
during their confinement their safety and well-being will be
ensured. That their physical and mental health will be
maintained or improved. That their human rights will be
upheld and that at a minimum they will be afforded the basic
standards of decency and privacy….”
–
“Advancing Corrections” (ICPA Newsletter, Editorial)
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The correctional dilemma
“Delivering this agenda calls for one thing: dedicated and
trained correctional staff…..none of us would disagree with
the view that the most important person to the delivery of
good corrections is the front line worker, whether in a prison
or community setting. Senior staff may well influence the
direction that each of our correctional Services takes but …. it
is the front line staff that will have the greatest influence on
our offenders and this is where our values play such a major
role. We need staff not only to own our values but also to act
them out on a daily basis.”
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“Advancing Corrections” (ICPA Newsletter, Editorial)
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The correctional dilemma
“… prison staff are badly trained, poorly paid and don’t get any public
respect.…”
…I know of no one who, at the age of 16, told their parents and friends that
they were going to find a ‘gap job’ until the time they could become a prison
officer…..”
“Understaffed, under-trained, under pressure. Uniformed staff are as
frustrated and confused by management directives and performance as we
the prisoners are”.
“Nothing will change until staff and management’s attitude towards
prisoners changes”.
“It’s only a job to them. The quicker the staff are finished the better. They
do not care and that is what’s wrong with the system.”
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The correctional dilemma
Punishment;
Retribution;
Deterrence;
Incapacitation;
Rehabilitation; and
Treatment.
The need for political and public awareness
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The Need for an Ethical Context
Concern for the citizen and for the reputation of the
organization;
Duty of compliance with legitimate authority, duty to report
and duty of efficiency;
Duty of care;
Transparency;
Confidence in the service; and
Professional conduct and independence;
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Response: “the Management of Our
Brothers and Sisters” (Olosula Ogundipe)
The need for appropriate systems to ensure:
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selection (personal qualities and technical skills);
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training;
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supervision;
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remuneration;
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clear Organisational Purpose and leadership; and
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a sound Ethical Framework.
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ICPA’s Role
Our approach will be to support, respond and collaborate in a
practical way that makes best use of the social and intellectual
capital that ICPA has among its members. To do this to
maximum effect we will, wherever possible, collaborate and
build partnerships with national prison and probation
administrations and other partner and stakeholder agencies
to harmonise our activities and to set a jointly-agreed
direction for action.
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Key Principles
ICPA’S CENTRAL TENETS FOR CORRECTIONAL REFORM
the change process must be led from within and international
agencies and partners should serve as a support to such
processes;
any programme of reform must be based on an evidence-driven,
practical approach that is outcome-focused;
all steps should be taken to ensure that there is close
collaboration between the various agencies working to support
justice and security sector reform and, wherever possible, the
work of these agencies should be done in partnership; and
justice sector reform initiatives must acknowledge the crucial
role played by correctional agencies in promoting community
safety.
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International Corrections
and Prisons Association
SOME PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS
Some Personal Observations
The main agent of change in the correctional equation is the
correctional/prison officer.
There needs to be a recognition that correctional reform
operates against the backcloth of jurisdictions at various stages in
social and economic development, moving at a different pace
and facing some very unique, culturally endemic and, at times,
overwhelming challenges;
The responsibility for driving and delivering change in corrections
in the developing world is a responsibility for the developing
world;
correctional reform is currently active in many parts of the
developing world, driven forward by committed and visionary
leadership;
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Some Personal Observations
inter agency co-operation is a vital part of any reform process;
the reality of the corrections’ world (in the foreseeable future)
is that there will always be too few people and too few
resources available to address the problems;
to deliver any change there will need to be co-operation
across agencies - not competition;
support need not only be financial or material;
the role for ICPA will be to call on its social and intellectual
capital through providing correctional expertise;
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Some Personal Observations
the ‘events’ mentality must be replaced by a ‘process’
mentality;
there needs to be a realism of what can be achieved and the
timescales of achievement;
‘organic’ solutions are more likely to be longer lasting than
‘mechanical’ ones; and
low costs solutions do not necessarily mean low impact
solutions.
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edwozniak@icpa.ca