Consultant 2- Digital Rehabilitation in Prisons

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Result of Service

Deliverable 1: Inception report (3 pages) Inception report capturing the project's scope, methodology, engagements from the Tokyo meetings, and preliminary discussions with Namibia and Thailand. Deliverable 2: Report of stakeholders’ consultations A summary report of stakeholder consultations, highlighting key insights, concerns, and context-specific recommendations for digital rehabilitation. Deliverable 3: Digital maturity assessment A short digital maturity assessment taking into consideration the needs of prisoners, the prison culture, and the technological capability and capacity of target countries’ prisons.

Work Location

Home based

Expected duration

May-October 2024

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Background of the assignment: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) is a United Nations entity established in 1968 to support countries worldwide in preventing crime and facilitating criminal justice. UNICRI is mandated to assist intergovernmental, governmental and non-governmental organizations in formulating and implementing improved policies in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. UNICRI's goals are: • to advance understanding of crime-related problems; • to foster just and efficient criminal justice systems; • to support the respect of international instruments and other standards; • to facilitate international law enforcement cooperation and judicial assistance. UNICRI is undertaking an initiative to incorporate digital rehabilitation training for prison staff within the current national and international prison staff training frameworks. This is part of UNICRI’s ongoing project focusing on the role of technology in enhancing the effectiveness of prisoner rehabilitation programs. Amidst technological advancements, there is a pressing need to ensure that prison staff are adept at utilizing these tools to foster rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners. This project aims to bridge the gap between traditional correctional education practices and the potential offered by digital rehabilitation solutions. In light of the diverse challenges and opportunities presented by the digital era, it is key to engage with key stakeholders in the prison system, including prison education experts, technology providers, prison staff, policymakers, and rehabilitated individuals. Their insights and experiences are crucial for designing a digital rehabilitation strategy that is not only secure and ethical but also resonates with the needs and realities of various correctional settings. 2. Purpose of the assignment: The purpose of this assignment is to assist UNICRI in designing the roadmap to incorporate specific training on digital rehabilitation within the target countries’ current staff training frameworks so that prison authorities can seek to introduce and implement digital rehabilitation in their prisons. This staff training aims to: (i) teach prison staff how to use and adapt newly developed technology to prisoner rehabilitation; (ii) help prison staff to understand security and other risks that arise when digital systems are introduced into prisons and to have the skills and tools to deal with them; (iii) encourage prison staff to accept digital change and create meaningful engagement with digital rehabilitation. More specifically, the consultant will be responsible for developing a structured engagement process with key stakeholders in the target countries - Namibia and Thailand - involved in digital rehabilitation. This engagement aims to scope the current landscape to ensure that digital rehabilitation training will be grounded in context-specific guidelines and recommendations for the responsible and human rights-compliant use of technologies in prisons. Based on this scoping exercise, the consultant will assess the target countries' digital maturity, to support the creation of tailor-made capacity-building activities. 3. Specific tasks to be performed by the consultant: Under the supervision of the Programme Officer and in close collaboration with the project team, the incumbent will perform the following tasks: PHASE 1: Prepare a brief inception report • Draft an initial report outlining the project’s scope, methodology, and timeline, incorporating insights from meetings in Tokyo and discussions with stakeholders from Namibia and Thailand. PHASE 2: Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement Planning • Identify and categorize key stakeholders across different sectors relevant to digital rehabilitation. • Develop a detailed engagement plan, including objectives, methods for consultation, and a timeline. • Provide initial inputs to UNICRI's project team for the second phase of the project, which will be launched from April 2024. PHASE 3: Conduct Stakeholder Consultations and draft a Digital Maturity Assessment • Execute the engagement plan through interviews and surveys to gather insights, expectations, and concerns regarding digital rehabilitation. • Focus particularly on ethical considerations, security challenges, and the potential for meaningful impact on prisoner rehabilitation. • Develop a digital maturity/rehabilitation assessment, to guide the development of context-specific and tailored capacity-building activities, taking into consideration the needs of prisoners, the prison culture, and the technological capability and capacity of target countries’ prisons. 4. Expected tangible and measurable output(s)/deliverables(s): Deliverable 1: Inception report (3 pages) Inception report capturing the project's scope, methodology, engagements from the Tokyo meetings, and preliminary discussions with Namibia and Thailand. Deliverable 2: Report of stakeholders’ consultations A summary report of stakeholder consultations, highlighting key insights, concerns, and context-specific recommendations for digital rehabilitation. Deliverable 3: Digital maturity assessment A short digital maturity assessment taking into consideration the needs of prisoners, the prison culture, and the technological capability and capacity of target countries’ prisons.

Qualifications/special skills

A PhD in criminology, sociology, psychology, social and political sciences, or a related field is required. Familiarity with the relationship with digital technologies and digital inclusion/literacy is desirable. : At least five (5) years of working experience in the study and research of criminal justice issues is required. Experience in conducting research on the development of ethical frameworks, on offenders’ education, and the use of digital technologies in prison is highly desirable. Previous experience with the United Nations or similar international organizations is desirable.

Languages

For the position advertised, fluency in English is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.