<< Background >>With more than half million people behind bars in Europe, prisoner rehabilitation has grown to become one of the most prominent features of European penal policy. International law stipulates that imprisonment should not be limited to the deprivation of liberty alone. It should include opportunities for prisoners to obtain knowledge and skills that can assist them in their successful reintegration upon release, with a view to avoiding future offending. Until today, receiving general education and vocational training have been considered the two most successful means for the successful reform and return and reintegration of prisoners back into the society. However, a growing body of research, unveils the fact that one of the strongest predictors of the reduction of recidivism is - along employment - the existence of strong familial ties.———————————————————————————————————————————————————The role of the family in reducing recidivism and supporting reintegration is now for the first time considered as “part of the solution”. In the words of the famous Farmer Review “healthy, supportive relationships are not just a “nice to have” for every prisoner in the criminal justice system. They are utterly indispensable if they are to turn away from criminality and contribute positively to society. Family and other relationships need to be a golden thread running through the criminal justice system”.Strong families have a natural power to provide the much-needed ongoing direction and personal support a reformed ex-prisoner needs to start anew. Strong families are a moral compass that re-direct (ex)offenders away from crime. Strong families offer shelter and financial assistance, in the days that follow the release. But, strong familial ties benefit not only prisoners, but society as a whole. Given that the majority of prisoners’ families are profoundly motivated to help their prisoners serving sentences build a better life for themselves, free from offending patterns of behavior, they constitute a potential army of support for the prison system that has not yet been strategically and consistently deployed.———————————————————————————————————————————————————— If prisons are truly to be places of reform they should acknowledge the reality that the existence of a supportive family is indispensable to a prisoner’s reform. In a prison system that has as its main aim prisoner's reformation of their identity, desistance from crime and reintegration into society, the systematic effort of strengthening family bonds should guide all actions.———————————————————————————————————————————————————The Golden Thread project envisions the introduction of a family learning and family support programme that will support prisoners – and their families – maintain meaningful relationships with family members, acquire parenting and relationship skills, re-shape negative patterns of thinking and behavior in interaction with the family, have a supportive family to return to on resettlement, as protective factors not only in reducing re-offending but also in preventing the intergenerational transmission of offending.The Golden Thread is expected to lay the essential groundwork for the establishment and/or of positive and sustainable relationships between families and their imprisoned members. It is not a one-way street but a way that all members of a family can contribute to each other’s learning not just during the term of a sentence, but more importantly, once the prisoner re-settles in the community.<< Objectives >>The Golden Thread project is expected to develop a comprehensive methodology for the systematic strengthening of prisoners’ familial bonds and the support of family members to provide care to each other. The Golden Thread approach is comprised of the following two (2) distinct components a learning component for prisoners – the Family Learning Workshops and a peer support methodology for prisoners’ families – the Prisoners Families Support Groups. The Golden Thread methodology is practical, emotional and relational. This methodology is expected to lay the essential groundwork to equip prisons and the communities with all the necessary methodologies and tools that will assist them to capitalize on the enormous power of family bonding on the prisoner re-integration cause. Against this background follows an analysis of the main project results:———————————————————————————————————————————————————[A]. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FAMILY LEARNING METHODOLOGY : The Golden Thread project proposal views the ability to make and sustain family relationships as a basic learning skill which is as important as numeracy and literacy in providing the “hooks for change” necessary for the effective individual interplay within the structural forces existing in wider law-abiding society. The aim of the Family Learning Curriculum is to help prisoners maintain these meaningful relationships with their families while serving their sentences. Family learning is an important strand of family interventions. Family learning is an approach to engage families in learning outcomes that have an impact on the whole family. Family learning is recognised as having a significant impact on all family members by helping them: build skills for education and employment; aspire to achieve more in life; improve personal relationships; and build confidence and resilience.[B]. THE PRISONERS' FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP METHODOLOGY : Imprisonment is a family experience. Although, the primary purpose of a prison sentence is to punish the offender, given the practical, financial, social and emotional effects of imprisonment, a prison sentence can also have punitive consequences for families outside prison. Families of prisoners may have to deal with a number of problems, on top of losing their loved one, such as financial strains, stigma, mental health problems, behavioural problems of children and the threat of homelessness; all of which can further exacerbate existing socio-economic disadvantage. Although, the importance of the maintenance of family ties in reducing reoffending rates is largely recognised, from the family’s point of view, it can be extremely challenging to keep these ties going when they are under pressure because of all these issues they are facing. The aim of the Prisoners’ Families Support Group Methodology is to support prisoners’ families maintain and repair relationships, and where appropriate, to further contribute in offenders’ rehabilitation process. Family support groups are expected to constitute a powerful tool to provide opportunities to share experiences; meet, learn and gain encouragement from others in similar situations and offer family members of prisoners a place to focus on their own needs.[C]. THE PRISON FAMILY LEARNING GUIDE : The Prison Family Learning Guide is the ultimate project output. Its aim is the development of a comprehensive approach for the successful future transfer of the project experience to other prison institutions throughout Europe. The elaboration of this guide will be an effort to institutionalise permanently and to ordinarily introduce the proposed family learning and family support methodologies in the European penitentiary system. The Prison Family Learning Guide is a comprehensive step-by-step strategy that incorporates all the elements that are required for the successful implementation of a family learning support program in a prison context, such as methodology, action plan, capacity building activities.<< Implementation >>The Golden Thread project aims at the systematic strengthening of prisoners’ familial bonds and the support of family members to provide care to each other. In order to achieve this goal, a set of interrelated activities are proposed as follows:———————————————————————————————————————————————————• RESEARCH ACTIVITIES : Project partners will undertake desktop research focusing on the state-of-the-art of existing family learning programmes and prisoner family support structures in the penitentiary context. Similar national, European and international initiatives will be sought and critically assessed. Moreover, through the delivery of 100 questionnaires and the conduct of 15 interviews with (ex)prisoners, prison professionals and prisoners’ families, project partners will receive concrete information and data about missing social, emotional and parenting skills of prisoners and the impact of imprisonment and distance parenting on their families.———————————————————————————————————————————————————• ACTIVITIES LEADING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS : Project partners will develop the Family Learning Curriculum with the aim to address a need for an organised educational activity, designed with a practical focus, arising from prisoners’ experienced urge to address family issues. The 10 module Curriculum will be supplemented by the Students’ Handbook and the Supplementary Teaching and Learning materials which will support the implementation of the project’s Family Learning Workshops for prisoners. In the same category of activities, the development of ‘The Methodological and Operational Framework' and the 'The Manual for Practitioners' is also included. These two documents will constitute the basis for the delivery of the Prisoners’ Family Support Groups.———————————————————————————————————————————————————• EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES : Eight (8) Family Learning Workshops will take place in penitentiary institutes of the partner countries, after the development of the relevant Curriculum and educational materials. These activities will target prisoners who will have the opportunity to develop skills and competences in order to build strong family relationships and strengthen their bonds with their families.———————————————————————————————————————————————————• TRAINING ACTIVITIES : A joint staff training activity will be organized and delivered for prison educators, trainers, and facilitators so that they successfully create new informal and/or non-formal learning opportunities for prisoners and their families. These professionals will develop all the necessary skills to make successful use of the Family Learning Methodology and to support the delivery of the project’s workshops and support groups. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————• PRISONERS' FAMILY SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES : Based on the ‘The Methodological and Operational Framework' and the 'The Manual for Practitioners' Family Support Groups will be organized, led by trained facilitators. These support groups will harness prisoners’ family ties more effectively so as to build a rehabilitation route for every prisoner upon release. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————• POLICY RECOMMENDATION ACTIVITIES: Project partners will develop a comprehensive approach for the successful future transfer of the project experience to other prison institutions throughout Europe in an effort to institutionalise permanently and to ordinarily introduce the proposed family learning and family support methodologies in the European penitentiary system. The Prison Family Learning Guide will be the ultimate project result to be widely disseminated to all relevant policy makers and penitentiary authorities, in order to mainstream the project’s approach in the participating countries and hopefully across Europe.<< Results >>The Golden Thread project envisions the introduction of a family learning and family support programme in the penitentiary system in a way to support prisoners – and their families – maintain meaningful relationships with each other, so as to have a supportive family to return to on resettlement, as protective factors not only in reducing reoffending but also in preventing the intergenerational transmission of offending. The Golden Thread project will develop a comprehensive methodology for the systematic strengthening of prisoners’ familial bonds. The Golden Thread approach is comprised of the following two (2) distinct components: • a learning component for prisoners – the Family Learning Workshops • a peer support methodology for prisoners’ families – the Prisoners Families Support Groups. The main project results are:[A]. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FAMILY LEARNING CURRICULUM Based on the project’s assessment (R1) of the needs of prisoners in social and emotional skills related to their ability to bond successfully with their families and on the analysis of the ways in which prisoners can (re)gain an active involvement in their family life, the Curriculum will be developed. The aim of the Family Learning Curriculum is to help prisoners maintain these meaningful relationships with their families while serving their sentences. The Curriculum will consist of 10 learning modules and it will be supplemented by a Students’ Handbook and extra Teaching and Learning materials. The Curriculum will be used for the delivery of the Family Learning Workshops. A total of eight (8) Family Learning Workshops will take place in penitentiary institutes of the partner countries. More analytically, two (2) Family Learning Workshops will take place in each of Poland, Portugal, Greece, and Cyprus. A total of eighty (80) prisoners will participate and benefit from the Family Learning Workshops – otherwise, each workshop will be addressed to a total of ten (10) inmates. Each Family Learning Workshop is comprised of ten (10) 2-hour modules, which amounts to a total of twenty (20) hours per workshop.[B]. THE PRISONERS' FAMILIES SUPPORT GROUP METHODOLOGY The aim of the Prisoners’ Families Support Group Methodology is to support prisoners’ families maintain and repair relationships, and where appropriate, to further contribute in offenders’ rehabilitation process. The Methodology is comprised of two important elements: ‘The Methodological and Operational Framework' and the 'The Manual for Practitioners'. These two documents will constitute part of the main training material for the JSTE (C1) in Nicosia, Cyprus for the preparation of the Prisoners’ Family Support Groups facilitators. The methodology will be applied for the delivery of the Prisoners’ Family Support Groups. Support Groups for the Prisoners Families are planned to be set up in the four participating countries. Project partners will set up in each national setting one (1) group with a maximum of ten (10) participants that relate to a prisoner, guided by the trained facilitators. In total 40 people, belonging to the families and close circles of the prisoners, will participate in the project’s support groups.[C]. THE PRISON FAMILY LEARNING GUIDE The Prison Family Learning Guide is the ultimate project output. Its aim is the development of a comprehensive approach for the successful future transfer of the project experience to other prison institutions throughout Europe. The elaboration of this guide will be an effort to institutionalise permanently and to ordinarily introduce the proposed family learning and family support methodologies in the European penitentiary system. The Prison Family Learning Guide is a comprehensive step-by-step strategy that incorporates all the elements that are required for the successful implementation of a family learning support program in a prison context, such as: - methodology, - action plan, - capacity building activities.