Directorate General

The impetus for this meeting came from the Polish Prison Service which approached its foreign colleagues to learn more about the Risk and Needs Assessment tools and their possible implementation within the Polish Prison Service. In addition to the Czech Prison Service, the Polish also approached the prison services of Canada, Slovakia, Switzerland and Texas (U.S.A.).

During the meeting, the Polish colleagues shared the basic points of their project which deals with the implementation of a new risk and needs (R&N) assessment tool. The Czech side then presented its SARPO (Summary Analysis of Risks and Needs) system, which currently serves as the R&N assessment tool. In international comparison, SARPO is a last-generation predictive tool, unique in Central Europe. In addition to static factors, it also includes dynamic and protective factors and works with the convicts' responsiveness. On behalf of the Prison Service of the Czech Republic, this meeting was attended by those who were directly involved in the birth of the SARPO system. The main psychologist Václav Jiřička and Michal Petras from the Penitentiary Department; Deputy Director-General for Education and Professional Treatment Brig. Gen. Simon Michailidis attended as a guarantor. 

At the end of the meeting, after a short discussion, the Polish side expressed their interest in further cooperation in this area.