The Golden Thread project envisions the introduction of a family learning and family support program in the penitentiary system in a way to support prisoners – and their families – to maintain meaningful relationships with each other, 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.
With nearly half a million people behind bars in the European Union, 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
The role of the family in reducing recidivism and supporting reintegration is now considered “part of the solution” for the first time. Family and other relationships need to be a golden thread running through the criminal justice system”.
- Strong families have the 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.
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.
The project was implemented by 5 partner entities in Poland, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus:
- Center of Social Innovations, University of Lodz (COORDINATOR) – Poland
- Fundacja Rozwoju Aktywnosci Miedzynarodowej i Edukacyjnej – Poland
- APROXIMAR- COOPERATIVA DE SOLIDARIEDADE SOCIAL, CRL – Portugal
- Athens Lifelong Learning Institute – Civil Non Profit Organisation – Greece
- THEOLOGIKI SXOLI EKKLISIAS KYPROU – Cyprus
“The Golden Thread” project, grant agreement number: 2021-1-PL01-KA220-ADU-000033783, is implemented with financial support of the European Union. This publication reflects the views only of the author, therefore the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
