"<< Background >>CONTEXTThe NEXT STEPS project is based on the successful ERASMUS+ project STEPS, which was carried out in the period 2018 to 2020.Within the framework of this project, some of the project partners involved have already gained a very good insight into the cooperation of a German sports club with a prison. The sports club not only conducts voluntary training sessions in baseball for inmates in prison, but also enables prisoners to participate in the club's regular training program and accepts former inmates as active members. The association is in direct contact with the inmates while they are still in prison and provides an accompanying stable social structure for the inmates even before they are released into freedom.OBJECTIVESThe goal of the initiative is - based on the very good experiences of the STEPS project - the model development of close cooperation between the central regional actors to be involved in the participating project countries (prisons, companies, vocational training institutions, voluntary support such as sports clubs, other supporting actors such as chamber organizations, etc.) as well as the establishment of a process structure. The process chain is based on close cooperation between these central regional actors and thus, on the one hand, contributes to the integration and resocialization of ex-prisoners and, on the other hand, accompanies and supports these motivated and, in some cases, already well-qualified professionals on their way into the primary labor market.The process chain takes into account both the individual correctional plan of each inmate - as far as available in the individual participating project countries - as well as state and other voluntary regular services such as probationary services, supervision of conduct, charitable and church support, etc., and complements them in a meaningful way.NEEDAccording to a report by Focus Online on 08.01.2020 and according to the NRW Minister of Justice Peter Biesenbach, the placement rate in NRW after successful professional qualification in the penal system is particularly high, especially in the juvenile penal system. This placement rate confirms that those prisoners who receive integration assistance both in preparation for release and in aftercare have a low risk of recidivism. However, this rate does not at the same time mean that this close-meshed care can actually be used by a large number of prisoners or is available for a large number. Rather, Minister Biesenbach also confirms at the same time that around 45 percent of all adult offenders in NRW recidivate. According to a 2016 study by the Ministry of Justice, the recidivism rate for juvenile offenders is as high as almost 70 percent. On the other hand, the economy, and in particular the skilled trades sector, is facing the challenges of demographic change and the increasing need for qualified skilled workers. It is above all the lack of close-meshed support that leads to young, hopeful, former offenders very often returning to their known social environment and committing crimes again - a vicious circle that can still be broken in far too few cases with the existing offers. This situation applies analogously to the other project countries.TARGET GROUPSThe project addresses the target groups of companies, voluntary structures, prison staff and prisoners who are about to be released.EUROPEAN DIMENSIONThe Focus report cited above shows that the general approach of the justice system to prepare prisoners for a life free of punishment and to support them with integration assistance before, during and after release has had undeniable success in NRW. In the other participating project countries, a field study/survey has yielded comparable results.<< Objectives >>The project aims to establish and test a sustainably functioning process chain in the participating European project countries, the elements of which serve to support detainees in their access to work and stable social structures such as sports clubs or other recreational, cultural or sports-oriented organizations and facilities. In order to set this process chain in motion, the project partners analyzed the points at which such a process chain has often failed to date in the run-up to the application. Based on these findings, the partnership is developing the following concrete results: 1. Database-supported systematization of the registration of volunteer organizations and individuals, for example from the fields of sports and charitable institutions, who would like to cooperate with prisons in the future in order to help inmates find their way into a stable social structure following their time in prison. To this end, the project partners will program a volunteer database, advertise it and maintain the contacts thus gained, record them in their networks and, above all, connect them with their associated prisons. It is true that the prisons will also have direct access to the data sets in the sense of sustainable use of the project results. It seems to make sense, especially at the beginning of such a long-term campaign, if the first connections between voluntary work and correctional institutions are made under the moderation of the associated project partners.2. Database-supported systematization of the registration of companies that would like to offer internships, training or jobs for released offenders. These companies also have the opportunity to register in the volunteer database. Particularly for the protection of (former) inmates, it also seems sensible here for the contacts between companies and prisons to be moderated and accompanied by the project partners.3. Observation sheets for prison staff to objectively record key competencies of inmates that can be of crucial importance for working life. The observation sheets can be used especially for group sports in prisons, but also for other activities that allow the observation of social competencies in detainees during their time in prison. These sheets can be used to more specifically identify inmates for use in certain occupations and can be presented to potential employers as a reference to facilitate the hiring process. The basis for use by correctional officers is training for use by associated project partners. 4. Program-based collection of school grades by correctional officers in the area of physical education to objectively assign school grades for inmates that can be reported on vocational school certificates. Correctional officers are enabled to learn about and apply criteria for assigning school grades for performance through this tool and with supplemental training by associated project partners. Inmates benefit from these school grades on report cards, as any evidence of good performance can be an element for successful integration into work and society.5. Establishing and maintaining regional networks of institutions that work together with the correctional facilities and the respective associated project partners to meet the challenge of sustainably improving the integration of released offenders into society and work.It is the declared aim of the project partners that these instruments can be used and continued independently by the participating institutions in line with the project idea even after the project period.<< Implementation >>The main partner responsible for the coordination of all activities is WHKT.A) PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT IN WORKSHOPS (internal and external)Target groups are both employees, managers who will be informed about the status quo of the project progress; in addition, regional stakeholders will be informed.B) PROJECT NEWSLETTERThis will be sent to employees, managing directors and regional, national and international stakeholders; these will be available in DE, ENG, IT and PT.C) PROJECT WEBSITEUsers of this project website, which will be available in the languages of the project partners, will be project partner staff, stakeholder staff (e.g. education experts, teachers, media representatives, justice officials), but also people interested in the project. All users have the possibility to download documents or to inform themselves about the project progress. The documents will be available primarily in ENG, but many relevant documents will also be available in the project partner languages (DE, IT and PT).D) PRESS RELEASES/ARTICLES IN PROFESSIONAL JOURNALSThese mailings are intended to target experts who may also act as multipliers or register in the volunteer database (IO1).E) EDUCATIONAL EVENTS/FAIRSAccording to an already conducted internet research, each project partner has the possibility to present the project and its results in the context of regional educational events. An overview of the respective education-related fairs, congresses, etc. will be prepared by the project partners at the beginning of the project and corresponding evidence will be submitted with the interim reports or the final report.F) SOCIAL MEDIA (FACEBOOK)A Facebook group for application submission has already been established, which will also be available to stakeholders and interested parties from all project partner countries as part of the project.In addition, there are now more than 10 Erasmus+ groups on Facebook; information about the project will also be posted on these.G) EPRP Experience shows that this platform is mostly accessed by the project partners as well as the network partners/stakeholders in addition to the representatives of the National Agency.H) FLYERS/POSTERSFlyers/posters will be produced regionally (by the project partner in each case) to draw attention to project activities (e.g. to announce the regional multiplier events); these will be distributed at the correctional facilities in the partner regions, in educational centers, at universities (with a research focus on ""social inclusion"") and among stakeholders (labor market administration, associations for the integration of prisoners, interested sports clubs).I) MULTIPLIER EVENTSThere will be a multiplier event in all project partner regions, where the project partners will inform about the project results and they can also be tested; target group are stakeholders (staff in prisons, migration counselors, employees of the labor market administration, media).J) CROSS-BORDER NETWORK OF ADVISORSThe participants of this cross-border network of consultants are employees of the project partners, stakeholders and associated project partners.<< Results >>During the aforementioned STEPS predecessor project, it was already evident that sports in particular offer the possibility of reaching young inmates (up to about 25 years of age) in a positive way, even for topics unrelated to sports. During sports, inmates regularly report to the STEPS project partner their desire for qualified employment in the primary labor market. Similarly, various skilled trades have already approached STEPS project partners to inquire about opportunities to employ released offenders.The next step will now be to expand the potential of the structures established in the STEPS project and to involve the business community. For example, the access that the sports club builds up to suitable, pre-selected inmates while they are still in prison can be used in preparation to give these inmates better and more direct access to the labor market after their release, in close cooperation with the other stakeholders involved.At the same time, companies have the opportunity to recruit qualified and highly motivated skilled workers who are not only socially prepared for their release through sports in the correctional facility, but can also train important key skills such as teamwork, willingness to learn and communication skills for subsequent employment in cooperation with the other services offered by the justice system and the correctional facility.During the project period, the project partners implement the following activities and results jointly and in cooperation with regionally based prisons and other regional actors:1. establishment and expansion of regional networks with the aforementioned actors.2. networking of regional networks on European level with the aim of cross-border exchange of experiences and joint development of further products and activities.3. creation of national databases of companies that would like to employ ex-prisoners as trainees, apprentices or qualified specialists, as well as of voluntary structures such as sports and similar associations that would like to build up an accompanying social structure in close cooperation with regional prisons.4. model conception and testing of the process chain as well as documentation and dissemination of the results."