DIGITWG

DIGITAL TRANSITIONS
WORKING GROUP

The Digital Transitions Working Group (DIGITWG) project is a direct result of ongoing research in the Erasmus+ KA2 VET Partnership DIGICOR, showing a proportion of prison staff are very resistant to converting to digital tools, systems and thinking. The DIGICOR partnership hypothesizes that this factor is at least as important as existing known barriers such as lack of infrastructure budget or knowledge/experience sharing between prison systems.

Finding staff resistance to digital transition under recognised and under researched, this small-scale partnership will engage in structured mutual learning exercises to promote knowledge and awareness. We will capitalise on the a broad network of organisations and employers in the fields of prison and detention developed in the DIGICOR project, and add to this expert organisations on active labour market promotion and digital technology provision in correctional settings. DIGITWG will facilitate exchange between actors with different perspectives and mandates, both to develop a common understanding of where the challenges lie in digital prison transformation and change management, and to develop recommendations for stakeholders to apply a structured approach to whole-prison digitalisation. 

All activities in this application are designed around our transversal aim of addressing digital transformation through greater readiness, resilience and capacity:

  • To give all prison staff – regardless of what they know or understand about digital technology – equality of access to digital competency training and thereby respond to a known professional development need and make the prison service an attractive employer.
  • To motivate them to broaden their awareness of how digital systems can improve how effective a prison is, and digital competencies can improve an individual inmate’s chances of reintegration upon release.
  • The project idea is based on a concept of fairness amongst all citizens of all generations in the use and application of digital tools, and deliver flexible opportunities for VET.

The working group will run over eighteen months, and will be structured to transfer knowledge and experience of digitalisation in prison on the ground to inform the three levels of exchange by:

Phase 1

In the first six months experts be asked to define predictors of stickiness, or specific traits/ conditions/environments which will make it harder to implement digital change.

Phase 2

2 day workshop in Lisbon attended by 30 expert practitioner and policy makers, to finalise draft versions of the four hub reports produced.

Phase 3

(1) Three factsheets designed to specifically inform stakeholders about the challenges and possible solutions of digitalization in prison at the three levels of exchange - European policy, national prison administration, adult training and professional development.

Throughout

Moderating and curating online exchange in the existing DIGICOR platform.