Online seminar on the “Training of trainers – the humane treatment of prisoners in Moroccan prisons”

Details

Published: March 12, 2021

In cooperation with the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR), on 25 February 2021 IRZ coordinated an online seminar on the “Training of trainers – the humane treatment of prisoners in Moroccan prisons”. The event was part of the “Cooperation with the Kingdom of Morocco on Prison Management” project, which is being supported by the German Foreign Office. Dr. Angelika Burghardt-Kühne, a psychologist, and Dr. Stefan Tydecks, a psychologist at the Moabit prison, reported on experiences from the German penal system. Abdelmajid Azzouzi and Bachar Chbichou, both of whom are training leaders at the National Prisons Training Academy in Tiflet, presented experiences from Morocco.

The main themes of this event held in the Training of Trainer format were the teaching of human rights in training and the protection of those rights in prisons. The experts reported on teaching methods and training techniques, their inclusion in handbooks, and preparations for release in the context of the pandemic.

The DGAPR established the National Training Academy of the Moroccan prison service in Tiflet in order to improve the teaching of human rights during training. Role plays and simulations are a key tool in helping trainees to deal with particularly problematic practical cases. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prison authorities in Morocco and Germany are mainly holding interviews online and are reducing the size of training courses. Unlike in Germany, Morocco is mainly relying on online seminars for training purposes and is suspending some practical exercises in a sporting context.

Considerable efforts are being made in both countries to guarantee human rights for prisoners during their prison sentences and as they prepare for release, despite the difficult conditions during the pandemic. Visits from lawyers and family members are still taking place with respect for social distancing rules and wearing masks. In Morocco, the majority of court cases and judgements are already taking place online. Attempts are being made in Germany to replace most of the bureaucratic procedures involved in release from prison with video conferences.