Prison-based Interventions for Muslim Offenders (PRIMO)

Prison-based Interventions for Muslim Offenders (PRIMO) is designing and testing a rehabilitative strategy in order to maximise the rehabilitative effects of practising Islam in prison and to minimise the existential risks of that religious choice.

Details

PRIMO will address four key areas of evidenced need identified by our prior research programme Understanding Conversion to Islam in Prison (UCIP):

To develop the ‘religious literacy’ of prisoners in a way that is relevant to prison life and that is geared towards the avoidance of future crime, PRIMO is designing, piloting and testing a six-week course of Religious Education for prisoners.
To improve the ‘prisons-literacy’ of Muslim Prison Chaplains, including their Continuing Professional Development, PRIMO is developing an accredited Diploma in Muslim Prison Chaplaincy.
To boost the ‘religious literacy’ of Prison Officers, including obvious gaps in their basic Prison Officer training, PRIMO is designing, piloting and testing a module of HMPPS Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT).
To improve the administrative process of changing religion in prison which at present leaves prisoners vulnerable to coercive conversion and abuse by other prisoners, PRIMO is developing a fit-for-purpose Prison Service Instruction (PSI) for prisoners to change faith in prison.

PRIMO is supported and guided by a world-class team of criminal justice practitioners, Muslim community figures, leading theologians and criminologists. PRIMO is funded independently by the Dawes Trust.

PRIMO aims to bring about an enduring and tested improvement in the way that Islam affects life in prison for the sustainable well-being of prisoners' lives and for the knowledge and well-being of criminal justice professionals.