Project PICTURES Launches to Revolutionize Correctional Education and Training

The PICTURES project (101140185-ERASMUS-EDU-2023-PI-ALL-INNO) officially launched its activities in February 2024, marking the beginning of a groundbreaking collaboration among fourteen partners from ten countries. Led by CPIP Romania (Centrul pentru Promovarea Invatarii Permanente), the project’s transnational meeting was held in Timișoara, Romania.

PICTURES aims to transform the educational landscape within the correctional system by introducing innovative, multidisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning, particularly focusing on pedagogy for emerging adult offenders. The project is set to establish Correctional Pedagogy HUBS across Europe, serving as incubators for education and training institutions to support the professionalization of correctional work.

Key objectives include fostering collaboration between higher education, vocational training, research, and the public and private sectors. The initiative will produce a comprehensive curriculum, an e-learning platform, and new training materials tailored to the correctional industry, all while prioritizing environmental, social, and governance factors.

The project’s outcomes will include a needs assessment to identify required skills and knowledge, a competence framework for correctional training, and ongoing communication among stakeholders to ensure relevance and responsiveness to industry needs. PICTURES also aims to deliver policy recommendations to enhance cooperation in the emerging adult justice and correctional labor market sectors.

With a three-year implementation plan, PICTURES is set to make significant strides in professionalizing correctional pedagogy and enhancing the skills of both current and future correctional professionals.