Workshop on the Penitentiary Reform in Jordan

Details: Published: October 22, 2014

Speakers and participants of the workshop in Amman

A workshop on the topic „Post Care Advancement – A Comparative Approach" took place from 29th September to 1st October 2014 in Amman. Within three days, about 25 participants of the event, which was conducted by the Training Center of The Correction and Rehabilitation Center (CRCD, Jordanian penal authority), had an opportunity to compare the experience and development approaches in the Kingdom of Jordan with the after-care system for prisoners in Lower Saxony. This issue was followed by intense discussions with ideas on a further development in this area in Jordan and the participants drew up specific proposals. The event, attended by the staff of the CRCD and employees of several Jordanian NGOs, has to be seen in the context of the bilateral cooperation between the IRZ on the German side and the Public Security Department (PSD, supreme police authority) on the Jordanian side.

In January of this year, the EU grant project "Support to Penitentiary Reform in Jordan" with the IRZ as a lead partner of the Consortium was successfully completed after two years. As a follow-up, the IRZ plans to continue its cooperation with Jordanian penitentiary authorities on a further reform of the penitentiary system in Jordan. Based on the project results, the cooperation will be pursued in areas of particular importance within single project components. For this purpose, a series of mutual workshops with the PSD and CRCD are planned.

The workshop "Post Care Advancement" - the first event in this series - was conducted by the former team leader of the aforementioned EU grant project on the penitentiary reform Torben Adams and the Presiding Judge of the Higher Regional Court Dr. Stefan von der Beck, who had already participated as an expert in the mentioned grant project. Talks with high-ranking representatives of the PSD, emphasizing the mutual desire of a fruitful continuation of the successful bilateral cooperation, took place in the margins of the workshop.