Social laboratories as a method of testing solutions to the problems of post-release prisoner assistance in Poland – A case of the activities of the “Mateusz” Association for Prevention and Rehabilitation (Stowarzyszenie Profilaktyki i Resocjalizacji “Mateusz”)

The Polish post-release assistance system for prisoners suffers from multiple dysfunctions, such as formalization, excessive bureaucracy, low flexibility, and a chronic shortage of funds. Attempts have been made to solve these issues by departing from a standard set of measures, introducing changes to the funding mechanism, improving personnel training, and ensuring a higher level of openness to more innovative measures. The first part of this paper describes the operations of the ‘Mateusz’ Re-adaptation Centre in Toruń, with a special focus on the ‘Dąbrowski method’ and on positive adaptation, which constitute the basis of the Centre’s activities and are referred to as ‘initial post-release prisoner assistance.’ The second part of the paper presents the concept of social laboratories, through which the theoretical concepts of ‘resilience’ and ‘empowerment’ will be used to conduct a two- or three-year-long research at the Centre to prepare a proposal for reforming the Polish post-release assistance system and ensure improved flexibility, beneficiary empowerment and, above all, greater effectiveness in the rehabilitation process.