Abstract:

The paper deals with the issue of Czech prison staff training and professional enhancement in the times of pandemic. In the first part, the authors introduce initial training organized at the Czech Prison Service Academy. They compare the methods and strategies used generally with those gradually implemented since the Covid-19 outbreak. They give examples of practical innovative approaches but they also argue about the productivity and usefulness of certain measures taken considering the teachers´ work, internal operations at prisons and technical challenges. The second part is devoted to prison staff lifelong learning. The authors present selected virtual lifelong programmes with the focus on international cooperation as a beneficial factor of continuous learning. They explain how international online activities may contribute to staff´s professional development. They analyse the efficiency of selected programmes, modules and activities and discuss their feasibility and values in the post-covid prison staff education.

Keywords:

Prison staff training, initial training, professional enhancement, lifelong learning, continuous learning, virtual programmes, international cooperation.