IN-CJ Podcast 009 – Digitisation in Prisons Webinar Part 1

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | TuneIn | RSS

This is a podcast of the first part of the live stream of the IN-CJ Webinar on: ‘Digitisation and Human Rights in Prisons’.

With a panel of experts and practitioners we discussed how digital change in prisons has accelerated rapidly in 2020, and where it will take us in the coming year?  We asked what are the policy and practice challenge that are being faced by criminal justice advocates, managers and policymakers across Europe?

Key  presentations were from Rubikon, Czech Republic + Steven van de Steene, France + Victoria Knight, United Kingdom, which were followed by a Q&A Discussion

Issues covered – values and ethics of digitisation in prisons; development of communication tools in prison settings around the world; impact on prisoners and staff of digital agenda; practice implications of on-line interviews – opportunities to question seminar experts.

Programme for Seminar:

1. Welcome and Introduction –  Facilitator – John Scott
2. Digitisation Overview  – Victoria Knight
3. Values Framework – Steven van de Steen and Victoria Knight
4. Round Table – opportunity for reflection and comments
5. Lived Experience – Service User Perspective – John Coster UK
6. Audience – opportunity for questions and comments
7. Questions and Concerns – NGO Perspective – Jana Smiggels Kavková
8. Audience – opportunity for questions and comments
9. Public Sector Perspective – Roman Šafránek, Czech Republic Prison Service
10. Round Table discussion and Questions from Audience – Facilitator
11. Conclusion

The first part of IN-CJ’s international webinar on digitisation in prisons brought together experts, practitioners, and those with lived experience to explore the rapid expansion of digital technologies in prison settings. Moderated by John Scott, the discussion attracted more than 100 participants online, reflecting the urgency and global significance of this issue.

Victoria Knight, Associate Professor at De Montfort University, opened with an overview of digitisation in prisons worldwide. She highlighted the uneven pace of change – what she called a “postcode lottery” – where prisoners’ access to digital tools and services varies dramatically even within the same jurisdiction. While technologies such as in-cell telephony, kiosks, tablets, and video calls are being introduced, the key question is how these affect prison environments, relationships, and outcomes for both staff and prisoners.

Stephen van der Steen, speaking from France, introduced the moral and ethical drivers for digitisation in prisons. He emphasised that technology is not just an instrument but a force that reshapes environments and relationships. He identified rehabilitation, normality, and human rights as the central drivers that should guide digital change, arguing that access to digital tools is increasingly tied to dignity and inclusion in modern society.

Victoria and Stephen outlined a framework of ethical principles for “digital rehabilitation”. These include legality, privacy and transparency, equality and fairness, proportionality, and agency. They argued that without clear ethical guidelines, digitisation risks deepening inequalities, entrenching control, or undermining human rights. With the right principles, however, digital tools can empower prisoners, improve staff effectiveness, and support rehabilitation.

Contributions from participants expanded the debate. Francis Toy of Unilink described the high demand for digital services in prisons, likening it to “water in the Sahara,” but warned of the challenge of keeping pace with external technologies. Milan from the Czech Probation Service raised the issue of policy-makers’ support for digitisation and legal reform, while Rob Canton highlighted the need to embed human rights at the centre of digital strategies and called for the Council of Europe to develop stronger recommendations.

The discussion underscored both the opportunities and the risks of digitisation. Technology can enable education, communication, and rehabilitation, but it also raises questions about privacy, control, and fairness. Participants stressed that digitisation must not simply reinforce existing structures of punishment but instead be used to create environments that prepare people for life in digital societies.

This webinar demonstrated the strength of IN-CJ as a platform for critical international dialogue. By linking academic research, practitioner insight, and lived experience, the network is helping shape the ethical frameworks that will guide the future of digital technology in prisons.

Listen to the full discussion in IN-CJ Podcast 009 – Digitisation in Prisons Webinar Part 1.