Project Period: 2024-2025
Collaboration with Romerike Prison, Ullersmo Unit
Peer Support Workers in the Correctional System
In the fall of 2024, KBT Vocational College and Romerike Prison, Ullersmo Unit, launched a pilot program to train peer support workers within the prison. Six inmates have been admitted as students in this pilot. The precursor was an 8-week introductory course organized by Ullersmo Prison, where KBT Vocational College provided academic support.
Adaptations for Education in a High-Security Prison
The students at Ullersmo follow the same curriculum as the other students in the peer support worker program, but with a delay. Instead of participating “live” in Zoom lectures, they watch recordings afterward. Fifty percent of the education consists of practical training, and the experiences gained regarding how this can be implemented for students in prison will be important after this pilot.
Although much has been planned in advance, adjustments need to be made throughout such a pilot. If the pilot proves successful, a study program for other prisons in Norway may eventually be developed.
Read also the news article from the start of the studies at Ullersmo: How can we train peer support workers while they are serving time in high-security prison? – KBT Fagskole
This article was translated from Norwegian with an AI-tool from openai