HSI Network

Tuesday, 03 November 2009

By the initiative of the Ministry of Justice of the Federal State of Brandenburg, a network of partners has formed in 2001 who jointly develop and implement measures for the social (re-)integration of ex-convicts, prisoners scheduled for release, and delinquents facing imprisonment as criminal sanction. Meanwhile, the number of network partners has increased and the network's basic concept has been developed further.

The network's activities focus on the labour market oriented (re-)integration of adult and juvenile offenders. In three equal project areas: 1. Help and Advice Centres, 2. Work Instead of Imprisonment, and 3. Ambulant Social and Vocational Programmes, the following qualitative aims are realized:

• personality development of the target groups
• improvement of employability and
• (further) development of an efficient network on a local level and in the wider sphere of activity

The quantitative objectives have been agreed with the network partners and set out in writing for each project area. Target groups of the Help and Advice Centres are convicts during and after their custodial sentence. The services offered by the Help and Advice Centres comprise advice and support during imprisonment, release preparation, assistance during release, post-release assistance as well as labour market related advice and job placement. The project area Work Instead of Imprisonment is aimed at convicts who are unable to pay their fine and who are willing to serve community work in order to avoid imprisonment in lieu of payment (or to pay the fine by instalments). The organizations offer services such as motivating the target group to serve community work, placement into appropriate community work, coordination and control of work attendance, individual advice during and - if required - after completion of community work as well as labour market related advice and placement of clients seeking jobs. The projects within the Work Instead of Imprisonment field are implemented in close cooperation and coordination with the clearing houses of the social services of the justice system. The third project field, i.e. Ambulant Social and Vocational Programmes, is focusing on adolescents and young adults who repeatedly have committed offenses or who are suspected to have or who have committed a serious offense and who have difficulties in major areas of life. By participating in social work programmes, imminent imprisonment is to be avoided and thus counteract the social disintegration of the young offenders which often ensues from imprisonment. All project concepts of the participating organizations include educational measures and processes which contribute to the enhancement of the young client's employability and his chances of integration into education and work life. The cooperation structure of the HSI network is organized in binding common work structures across the different spheres of activity. External professional network moderation and coordination (network management) is in place to guarantee a variety of coordinating processes between the participating network partners. The network partner's consulting, assistance and placement activities are supported by the process oriented information management ZABIH, i.e. the central information service for the integration into education and employment of ex-convicts and people facing imprisonment. Network management and information management share the planning, securing and development of the joint project controlling which is then implemented with the network partners in a partnership-based process.