Background information

The project “Capacity building for female prisoners with a history of violence and abuse” (STRONG) is funded by the European Commission (DAPHNE) for a contract time of two years. With WIAD as a coordinator the project STRONG is conducted in cooperation with five European Member States, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and United Kingdom and brings together a multi-disciplinary network representing a range of different professional groups and practitioners working inside and outside prisons.
 
Women differ significantly from men in their backgrounds and reasons for imprisonment. Many female prisoners have been physically or sexually abused in childhood, youth, or intimate partnerships. Experiences of violence and abuse often lead to compensation strategies, which negatively effect physical and mental health of victimised women, e.g. drug use, higher level of risk behaviour, post-traumatic stress disease, mental health disorders, or suicide. The period of imprisonment represents an opportunity for interventions and programmes to help victims to handle problems and negative outcomes and to achieve competencies to deal with everyday life, for example regarding social relationships or self esteem. Awareness on specific needs and problems can on the one hand improve the situation of victimised women in prison and on the other hand facilitate interaction with this vulnerable group for prison personnel.

For this reason main goal of the project STRONG is the development of knowledge and capacities for criminal justice professionals to facilitate and improve interaction with women survivors of violence and abuse and to protect them from further abuse. A detailed needs analysis is conducted as well for the affected women as for prison staff. Based the on identification and analysis of existing practices and programmes results a toolkit and a training programme will be developed and tested. Both instruments are specifically targeted at helping prison authorities and prison staff, Ministries of Justice, and grass-roots organisations to better address the specific needs of female prisoners with a history of violence and abuse and resulting trauma.

For more information

Anniina Jokinen
anniina.jokinen(at)om.fi