Written by Dr. Sergiu Raiu, sociologist advisor at the Research Career Orientation and Counseling Center at “Ștefan cel Mare” University in Suceava, Romania (COACH-USV)
Dr. Sergiu Raiu, from the Research Career Orientation, Association and Counseling Center (COACH-USV) in North East Romania spoke with Dr. Ioan Durnescu, an expert in the field of criminal sociology and justice in Eastern Europe. Dr. Ioan Durnescu, explained his perspective on the penitentiary and probation system in Romania as well as the latest research published in the field of probation, including his recent book: ”Core Correctional Skills. The Training Kit”.
As a Professor at the University of Bucharest, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, Dr. Ioan Durnescu teaches and conducts research in the area of probation, prison and deradicalization fields. His special interest is comparative probation and reentry. He is one of the editors of Probation in Europe (CEP/WOLF) and Understanding Penal Practice (Routledge). Previously he worked as a prison inspector, probation inspector and director of the Probation Service in Romania. Professor Durnescu is currently co-editor of the European Journal of Probation and co-chair of the RAN Rehabilitation Working Group.
When asked how the idea of ”Core Correctional Skills. The Training Kit” was born, Professor Durnescu stated: ”it is a manual that answers exactly the questions of “how” and “why” we work with involuntary clients. I found a lot of information in the literature about what skills correlate best with reducing recidivism or supporting desistance, but I didn’t find manuals on how to develop these skills or competencies. Hence the idea of writing a different manual to help educators, trainers, researchers, practitioners and students develop the skills associated with the five core competencies: (1) how to build rapport with an unwilling client, (2) prosocial modeling, (3) problem solving, (4) motivational interviewing, and (5) cognitive-behavioral interventions. The book is also based on my rather long experience as a trainer, in the country and abroad.”
Professor Durnescu explained that the book was well received by those interested in working with people who receive a custodial or non-custodial sentence, considering that such a book was necessary, both in Romania, other countries in Europe and beyond.
”I was very happy to see that my intuition was indeed correct, that indeed such a book is needed and missing from the market, evidenced by the interest of many administrations to translate it. All these translations were provided either by the ministries of justice in the respective countries, or by research centers or independent publishing houses, but at the proposal of the administrations of those countries. I think that says more than I can about how well the book was received”.
Professor Durnescu’s recently published studies on the Romanian prison experience have focused on exploring post-liberation trajectories. For example, at the Târgșor Women’s Penitentiary, he examined how the Roma ethnic origin intersects with variables such as economic or educational status, generating exclusion, discrimination and social marginalization among Roma women who have experienced deprivation of liberty. He also carried out a research in the Jilava Penitentiary on men who had been released to explore the impact of the prison experience on their social reintegration: ”for a year I monitored men released from the Jilava Penitentiary, of both ethnicities, and those of Roma ethnicity and Romanians. But we also carried out research on the skills and characteristics of people who work with such subjects in the direction of Who Works approaches.”
Prof. Durnescu published together with researchers from the USA conducted comparative research on the correctional services of 20 countries globally. It is one of the most complex books in the field that examines different probation systems in several states. The research resulted in the publication of a book entitled: The Routledge Handbook on Global Community Corrections and was published this year (2024) with three other researchers: James M. Byrne, Benjamin J. Mackey, and Faye S .Taxman.
In the view of Professor Durnescu, the penitentiary system in Romania has some deficiencies in terms of the historical heritage of the structure of the buildings that guard people deprived of their liberty and that do not offer living conditions at European and international standards. He stated that: ”The penitentiary system in Romania is different and in a continuous dynamic; it is in motion. It really depends on which system we are comparing it to. If we compare it with the Norwegian system or another Northern European system, we can see rather a focus on the inner life of the institution, on the institutional behavior, more than what the person could perform in freedom. If we compare the penitentiary system in Romania with the other European penitentiary systems, it is quite similar and is improving day by day. Instead, it is still related to a historical legacy. First, we still have quite large rooms. With us, the man and the cell is an exception rather than a rule. In many European states, this is already a rule. Each inmate has his own room. This is not the case with us. We have rooms with four, six, ten, even 20 inmates. We still have this system based on bedrooms.”
Another aspect that can be improved is the one related to the training of staff in Romanian penitentiaries who are insufficiently prepared for the management of prisoners, having a legal training rather than one based on the development of specific skills in the field of psychology, social assistance or education. “I think it is attributed to the historical heritage and from the perspective of education, training and training of prison staff. This is still being done, especially at the Police Academy, following a legal line of training rather than one based on skills and training needs,” Professor Durnescu stated.
Despite the differences with other European prison systems, Professor Durnescu emphasized a positive and accelerated evolution of the Romanian prison system in recent decades: “there are some aspects that can be improved if we look in comparison with what is happening in other European states. But I emphasize that the evolution in the last 20 years of the Romanian penitentiary system is for the better and extremely accelerated. It is an accelerated transformation, in a good direction.”
Regarding the probation system in Romania, he refers again to the specialized staff that he says will need continuous training and education. Thus, probation counselors can respond more effectively to the diverse needs of people who end up receiving a non-custodial sentence and would update their skills in the face of new challenges. ”I would like to see a more careful concern about continuous training, about preparation to respond to the new profile that is foreshadowed in the sphere of probation. I would like to see probation counselors a little better trained to be able to work effectively with people who have problems related to addictions, gambling in particular or with the elderly, etc. There are things that can be improved here as well, but the situation is at a reasonable level according to my subjective assessment”, according to Professor Durnescu. Therefore, there are diverse categories of people with different needs that require personalized approaches and interventions, and staff training should effectively respond to these needs of those under their supervision.
Another aspect Professor Durnescu suggests could be improved is the reduction of the ratio between the probation counselor and the number of supervised beneficiaries. This could lead to more efficient case management services. Prof. Durnescu believes that: ”the probation system in Romania, unfortunately, has been rather stagnant for several years. Indeed, the number of probation officers has been significantly increased, which has led to a decrease in the caseload per probation officer. But this ratio can still be improved. We still have probation services in Romania where a probation counselor works with over 100 convicted persons, which is not very advisable”.
In Romania, in several university centers, students can follow postgraduate master’s study programs in probation. Professor Durnescu appreciates the master’s programs in Romania that train specialists for the penitentiary system and probation services, emphasizing that they are sought after and offer various professional opportunities. Graduates of these postgraduate master’s programs may work in research, non-governmental organizations, prisons or probation services. The subjects in the curricula of these master’s degrees are up-to-date with the latest scientific discoveries in the field and adapted to international requirements, which makes them attractive and useful for the training of future specialists. ”They are very popular master’s programs, as far as I know. Also at other universities, not only at ours, at the University of Bucharest (…) the options after graduation are quite varied and that probably makes them more attractive. The content of the courses, of the program in general, is modern and adapted to the current requirements at the global level, not only at the level of Romania. So, yes, indeed, I think there are postgraduate programs that guide graduates either towards research in the field of criminal justice, or practitioners in penitentiaries or probation services”.
”Ștefan cel Mare” University in Suceava, prepares future specialists in working with people who receive custodial or non-custodial sentences. In the 3rd year of study, the students of the Social Assistance Specialization learn two specialized subjects, namely: Social Assistance in the Penitentiary and Social Assistance in the Probation System. Recently, a group of 30 students majoring in Social Work made a visit to study the Botoșani Penitentiary, where they made direct contact with the specialists working in the system and were able to observe how psycho-socio-educational programs are carried out with prisoners. Another event in which the students of Sucevan University were involved was the realization of an exhibition of dolls made by the Japanese crochet technique ”Amigurumi” by the women inmates of the Gherla Penitentiary. The exhibition titled: ”Crochet stories – Messages from the heart. Thread of Life: Dolls and Thoughts from the Penitentiary” aimed to draw the attention of students and the wider community to the achievements of women prisoners, to raise awareness in the university community, to stimulate discussions on topics related to the social reintegration of people deprived of their liberty, as well as to promote the creativity and special abilities of women inmates. The initiative makes a valuable contribution to the educational and social activities of the university, while promoting social responsibility and empathy among students. The actions were initiated by lect. university Dr. Sergiu Raiu, sociologist advisor at the Research Career Orientation and Counseling Center at “Ștefan cel Mare” University in Suceava (COACH-USV), who also conducted this interview with Professor Durnescu.