How a Czech prison is reducing high reoffending rates

(6 May 2024)
CZECH REP OPEN PRISON

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

LENGTH: 6:13

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jirice - 2 May 2024

1. Pan of prison barbed wire fence, inmate raking leaves
2. Wide of open prison housing facilities
3. Mid of inmate weeding garden
4. Close of inmate weeding
5. Wide of inmate walking past open prison housing
6. Wide of inmate feeding llama
7. Close of chickens
8. Wide of information panel on open prison
9. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Hana Prokopova, director of open prison:
“One of the main goals of the open prison is to reduce recidivism and also to prepare prisoners for a smooth transition to civilian life. We push on them and create model situations that the inmates learn to manage.”

10. Wide of inmate carrying gardening tools
11. Wide of inmate raking leaves in front of fence
12. Close of inmate raking leaves in front of fence
13. Wide of inmate walking past prison housing facilities
14. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Miroslav Horacek, inmate:
“They work with us so we can improve. In the B section (traditional prison), you just do your time and get out, whereas here, they try to make you a better person before you leave.”

15. Wide of inmate walking past housing facilities
16. Mid of inmate preparing grain for rabbits
17. Close of rabbit
18. Mid of inmate opening rabbit hutches
19. Close of rabbit in hutch
20. SOUNDBITE (Czech) David Hejny, inmate:
“It's nice to be allowed to care about something. It's preparation for life outside, especially if you have pets. You can prepare for that after a longer sentence. It's quite nice to take care of animals here.”

21. Wide of llama walking near fence
22. Wide of inmate playing with dogs
23. Close of dogs
24. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Vlastimil Krulis, inmate:
“It's a big responsibility that I share with my colleague. We take care of the dogs. We pass information, feed them, teach them commands. They already obey to sit, lie down and paw.”

25. Wide of inmate playing with dogs
26. Mid of inmates in safety vests leaving prison for work
27. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Hana Prokopova, director of open prison:
“In the Czech Republic, the recidivism rate is around 70 percent, and our work with convicts is very intensive and individual and has a positive effect. In the six years that we have been monitoring the penological recidivism rate, we have kept it at 16 to 17 percent.”

28. Close of prison housing
29. Mid of gardening tools and carts
30. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Petr Zeman, criminologist, Institute of Criminology:
“If a convict who returns to civilian life after completing his sentence is left to his own devices, he has a high probability of reoffending and returning to prison again. Recidivism is not primarily a problem of the prison system, but rather a problem of the justice system and the follow-up care of released convicts."

31. Mid of inmate hanging laundry
32. Mid of prison garden
33. Mid of inmate reading in housing facility
STORYLINE:
LEADIN:

An open prison project in the Czech Republic is trying to reverse one of Europe's highest reoffending rates.

It offers different activities and more freedom to prepare inmates for life after prison.

STORYLINE:

Behind a high wall of barbed wire, close to Jirice Prison, north of Prague, is this Open Prison facility.

There are no armed guards, prisoners are allowed to move around freely and leave the prison for their day jobs.

They can also take care of a small garden, grow vegetables, and keep domestic animals.


"We push on them and create model situations that the inmates learn to manage.”






















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