The Swiss Centre of Expertise in Prison and Probation (SCEPP) supports the cantonal institutions and the federal government in the strategic planning and development of the penal system in Switzerland. In this context, SCEPP offers a wide range of educational opportunities to enable both staff working in the justice system and inmates in correctional institutions to stay professionally engaged and up to date.
Leadership training in the prison and probation system should build on a general understanding of the Swiss criminal justice chain and custodial measures. To help reactivate the necessary foundational knowledge, an interactive self-study format has been developed, consisting of two e-learning courses designed for learners with varying educational backgrounds. Both courses are being produced in three languages for use in Switzerland.
For the two e-learning courses, the source material consisted of complex legal texts and statutory foundations—one set in German and the other in French. Due to the highly specific terminology, the scripts and first versions of the e-learnings were developed in the respective original language. The Italian versions were then created based on translations that were reviewed for subject-matter accuracy.
The theoretical and rather complex foundations are linked to practical application through a storytelling approach. This allows learners to gain an overview of the key actors in the criminal justice chain and relate the content directly to their working environment. In this way, complex texts and interrelations are merged with clear foundational knowledge for leadership training.