Therapeutic system for drug addicted prisoners in Poland Andrzej Majcherczyk Penitentiary Office...

therapeutic system for drug addicted prisoners in Poland

Andrzej Majcherczyk

Penitentiary Office

Central Board of Prison Service

amajcherczyk@czsw.gov.pl

Legal provisions

Polish Penal Code established three systems of execution of imprisonment punishment:

• regular

• program’s impact

• therapeutic

Various types of therapeutic units

p sych ic d is fu nc tio n a n d m en ta lly d isa b ledto ta l nu m b e r: 22ca pa c ity: 15 67

a lcoh o l a d d ic tedto ta l nu m b e r: 18

ca p ac ity: 5 90

d rug ad d ic tedto ta l nu m b e r: 12

ca p ac ity: 4 47

th e ra p e utic u n its

Distinctive features of therapeutic unit

• Place

• Special rules

• Base for therapy

• Therapeutic team

• Programme

Base of the therapeutic system for drug addicted prisoners

12 therapeutic units (capacity: from 24 do 50 places)

Total number of places within the system: 447

Total number of therapeutic staff: 57 full-time positions

Needs for therapy

• 1022 convicted inmates were waiting for therapy (24% increase in comparison with the previous year)

• average period of awaiting therapy - 11 months (3 months longer than in the previous year)

Placement of therapeutic units in the country

Lubliniec Prison

Characteristics of programme

• Drug-free

• Cognitive-behavioural

• Time limited (6 months)

• Endorsed by General Director of Prison Service

Criteria for acceptance

• Characteristic of the target group of offenders

• Goals and objectives

• Model of change

• Methods

• Intensity, sequencing, duration

• Scope of education

• Draft of an evaluation

• Characteristic of a base

• Staffing pattern

• Financial means necessary to run the programme

Content of a programme

1. Orientation to treatment

2. Cognitive skills

3. Interpersonal skills

4. Criminal lifestyles

5. Relapse

6. Wellness

7. Transition

Benefits for inmates

• Knowledge

• Skills

• Motivation

• Not to waste their time spent in prison

The scale of operations

• 800-1000 drug addicted inmates undergo therapy every year

• about 80-85% of them finish the program

Challenges

• Insufficient number of places• The need to refine existing drug-free programmes• Lack of well-performed effectiveness studies• Continuation of the therapy• The need to extent the scope of offer (develop

programmes besides therapeutic units, programmes of different kind, harm-reduction programmes in every prison, etc.)

Andrzej Majcherczyk

Penitentiary Office

Central Board of Prison Service

amajcherczyk@czsw.gov.pl