• History
• IFEPS Centres
• Policy
• Activities
• Enquiries

The word 'penal' in the Forum's title is meant to be as inclusive as possible, with special mention being made of post-release and community-based projects and activities related to people on remand, to young offenders, and even crime prevention.(IFEPS News, No.1, May 1992).

• Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada
• Bergen Folk High School, Holland
• University of Leeds, England
• Leicester University, England
• Barcelona University, Spain
• California State University, San Bernardino, USA
• The University of Minnesota, USA
• The University of Melbourne, Australia

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POLICY

1. The Department of the Humanities at Simon Fraser University is the designated affiliate of the International Forum on Education in Penal Systems (IFEPS).

2. The purpose of the Simon Fraser University IFEPS is to bring together academics, policy-makers, and practitioners in the correctional field to form a network for the conduct of specific research projects and for collection and dissemination of ideas, materials, and research reports relevant to the field of education in penal systems, especially program development and its relationship to mainstream education, employment, and community-living issues. IFEPS is interested in other social issues to the extent that they impact on education in penal systems.

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ACTIVITIES

1. 1998 Publication of the Final Report on the Evaluation of Effectiveness in Prison Education Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, this study took 3 years to complete, and assesses the impact of the 20 year history of prison education in British Columbia's Federal Prison System.

2. The IFEPS News - the quarterly newsletter. Twenty issues have been circulated to members in every State/Territory of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, England, Canada and the USA. Each issue has contained latest policy, program and research developments in Australia and elsewhere in education, employment and training of offenders. Members are encouraged to submit brief items on their own work and this helps to maintain and extend the IFEPS network.

3. The 1994 conference on employment, education and training of offenders, held in Melbourne, Australia. This attracted 130 participants from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, China, England, Canada, and the USA. There were 68 papers which are now printed as the record of the conference proceedings.

4. Editing of the 1993 International Yearbook of the Correctional Education Association. This contains contributions from Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, England, Spain, Holland, and Denmark.

5. Participation in the development of an Australian National Agenda for employment, education, and training of offenders. This included being active in the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training response to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. It also involved a submission of a case to the Commonwealth Government on employment, education and training of all offenders as the main outcome of the 1994 Melbourne conference.

6. Participation in the 1998 Hobart conference, which attracted 130 participants from Australia, New Zealand, England, Canada, Fiji, and China.

7. Presentation of a case to the 1995 Australian Senate Inquiry into education and training of offenders. The resultant report (1996) named IFEPS as one of the organisations which could take responsibility for assisting in the implementation of several of its recommendations.

8. Current financial membership of 47 and a mailing list of more than 300 people and organisations in both hemispheres.