Peppy Prison - Cowi

The football team at the NyborgState Prison consists of a smallgroup of inmates and prisonofficers. Photo: Ulrik JantzenBy Christina TækkerKlaus Naumovski,an inmate at NyborgState Prison inDenmark, participatedin the projectand made suggestionsabout how toimprove daily lifeinside the prison.Peter Dexters, project managerfor the Danish Prison andProbation Service, would liketo see the ideas behind theproject take on a life of theirown.The referee’s whistle blows and anunusual football match kicks off.The ball is dribbled, players aretackled and the sweat on both sides’brows shows their determination towin. The action is common to pitchesaround the world, except this oneis surrounded by brick walls toppedwith barbed wire and closely followedby surveillance cameras.We are at Nyborg State Prison, onthe central Danish island of Funen.And facing off today are two mixedteams of prison officers and inmates.The referee is Ole Hansen, DeputyDirector-General of the Danish Prisonand Probation Service.The match is the culmination ofa year-long project that has seen inmatesand employees working togetherto come up with ideas to improvedaily life at the prison. Over aperiod of three months, a group ofprison officers have traded in theiruniforms for exercise clothes as theyserved as instructors in athoroughly planned programmethat involved 13inmates playingfootball and volleyball,meditating,spinning andlearning about healthydiets.The sports andhealth programmeis called PeppyPrison (or 'FUT' inDanish) and hasgone a long waytoward improvingthe prison as a place to live andwork.Breaking down barriersInstead of the antagonistic relationshipthat used to exist between prisonofficers and inmates, thanks tothe programme the two groups nowspeak more pleasantly to each other.There are also fewer threats andtense situations, according to NyborgState Prison Governor ArneTornvig. That has led to an improvedrelationship between thetwo groups.“The Peppy Prison programmehas broken down barriers. Now ithas become more acceptable for prisonersto talk to the prison officers –and not only just to ask when thepost is being delivered,” Tornvigsays, adding that it is “natural” thata friendlier tone has helped bringdown the tension.“The project has created a senseof professional friendship. Inmateattitudes that it was wrong to talkto prison officers have softened.We’re headed down the right path,”he adds.But it is not just the handful ofinmates participating in Peppy Prisonthat are on better terms withtheir prison officers. Klaus Naumovskisays it has rubbed off on all ofthe 100 or so inmates living in theordinary association units.Naumovski, an inmate himself,says he suggested ways to improveattitudes around the prison, becausehe had an interest in improvingrelations between inmates and prisonofficers.“It’s time to challenge the attitudesome of the older inmates havethat you can’t talk to prison officers.”He believes a modern prison needsgood dialogue.“This is our home, and the prison officershelp improve our lives here,”he says.Careful considerationThe project is the first time the DanishPrison and Probation Service hassat its inmates and its employees“It’s time to challenge the attitude someof the older inmates have that you can’t talkto prison officers”Klaus Naumovski, inmate, Nyborg State Prisondown together as a way to improverelations.Officially known as “User-drivenImprovement of Employment andCorrectional Environments in DanishPrisons”, the project has alsomade use of elements such as collages,games and brainstormingboards.A group of four inmates and fourprison officers have formed thebackbone of the project, but anyoneworking or living in the ordinary associationunits has been able to chimein at any time with their ideas.cowi and VIA Design have codesignedthe project, facilitating the processesand contributing to the formulationof ideas and solutions thatthe inmates and guards put intopractice.For Peter Dexters of the DanishPrison and Probation Service, thedecision to ask prison officers andinmates to work with each otherwas not one that was made withoutcareful consideration.“I ran the gamut of considerationsbefore we started. Would it even bepossible to encourage collaborationin a hierarchical system? Would itwork? Well, it appears that we could.”Attitude adjustmentFor the management of NyborgState Prison, agreeing to participatewas a way to help them find new“I hope we can give them a different perspectiveon things and that we’ve inspired them to turnover a new leaf ”Una Jensen, Nyborg’s Deputy GovernorThe Deputy Governor at Nyborg Prison, UnaJensen, hopes the project has given inmatesan interest to pursue healthy lifestyles – evenafter they leave the prison system.Internationalt nyhedsmagasin fra cowi • 15