The PICTURES project addresses a complex issue in the societal, education, and labour market context, which is the professionalization of practitioners from various fields who support emerging adults in prison. This project aims to create a common language for practitioners to address this vulnerable group by focusing on education, re-engaging with learning, and developing teaching methods for emerging adult corrections.

The treatment of emerging adults in the justice system in Europe varies widely between countries, leading to enormous disparities in treatment and professional training of practitioners working with this age group. The PICTURES project aims to foster new and innovative approaches to teaching and learning, which currently do not exist as an aggregated concept in Europe, and to establish a system for ongoing communication and collaboration among stakeholders in the ecosystem.

The professionalization of staff working with emerging adults in prisons is crucial to providing tailored interventions, ensuring high-quality training and a common understanding of correctional pedagogy and the needs of emerging adults, and promoting a European-wide community of practitioners to share knowledge and best practices. Investing in this professionalisation aligns with the European Union’s broader goals of promoting social inclusion, reducing recidivism rates, and improving the rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals who have been involved in the justice system.

We will implement in an unique partnership that directly represents the employers, employees, VET and HE training providers and the civil society. The voices of the final beneficiaries we serve, the emerging adults from correctional systems, are also represented, as their teachers, legal guardians and tutors are directly involved. This will be a truly unique project triggered by the need of the labor market to innovate in foreseeing competencies, but with a far grater impact at societal level.