Laurea strengthens its role as a developer of correctional services

Laurea is strengthening its position as an international expert in digitalisation, inclusion and safety within the correctional services sector. This long-term work will continue in the new Digital Transformation in Correctional Services (DigiCorre) project, which secured Erasmus+ funding in an exceptionally competitive call.

DigiCorre succeeds in a record-breaking Erasmus+ funding call

A total of 57 applications were submitted in Finland in the 2026 Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships call for higher education, of which only five received funding. The success rate of 8.8 per cent was the lowest in the current programme period. The minimum score among the funded applications was 92 out of 100.

DigiCorre responds to a pressing need across Europe. Educational resources on digitalisation available to correctional and social services professionals are fragmented and partly outdated, and do not adequately support the development of professionals’ digital competence. At the same time, professionals increasingly need the skills to promote the digital inclusion, rehabilitation and reintegration of people with a history of offending.

A shared educational model for use across Europe

The DigiCorre project will identify good practices in the digitalisation of correctional services across Europe. Based on this review, the project will develop an open and interactive online course consisting of flexible micro-content and short learning modules. Together, these will form a European educational model for digitalisation in correctional services.

In addition to the project partners and professionals working in the field, experts by experience with a history of offending will participate in the development work. The aim is to strengthen professionals’ ability to support the rehabilitation, digital inclusion and active citizenship of people serving sentences and those preparing for release.

“Digital inclusion is critically important in correctional services. International research shows that digital skills play a role in desistance from crime and reintegration into society. Through international cooperation, we can draw on and combine proven practices and make them available to correctional services professionals across Europe”, says Laurea’s Correctional Services Research Group researcher and project manager Heli Kaatrakoski, who led the preparation of the DigiCorre application.

Partners from Finland, Norway and Spain

The Laurea-coordinated partnership brings together higher education institutions and organisations working in correctional services from Finland, Norway and Spain. It combines Nordic expertise in correctional services and digitalisation with the active development of digital tools currently under way in Spain.

The Finnish partners also include an NGO that works with people with a history of offending and brings the perspectives of experts by experience to the project. The Prison and Probation Service of Finland participates as an associated partner. It will contribute insights into the needs of correctional services staff and knowledge gathered through EuroPris, the European Network of Prison and Correctional Services.

DigiCorre continues Laurea’s long-term development work

DigiCorre builds on Laurea’s long-standing work in the digitalisation of correctional services and the promotion of digital inclusion. The Digikaverit project, implemented from 2024 to 2026, used peer support to strengthen the digital, working-life and guidance skills of people with a history of offending. Participants reported improvements in their digital skills, sense of inclusion and experience of meaningfulness in life.

DigiCorre will bring the expertise accumulated through this work into European cooperation and the training of professionals in the field. The project aims to increase the effectiveness of correctional services and support the reintegration of people with a history of offending into society. Promoting digital inclusion also contributes to building safer societies across Europe.

Laurea has more than 20 years of experience in education and research, development and innovation in the correctional services and social services sectors. Laurea is the only university of applied sciences in Finland to offer both bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes in correctional services. The work of Laurea’s Correctional Services Research Team brings together the digitalisation of correctional services, desistance from crime, multi-agency social work, dynamic security and social ethics.