Lt. Gen. Petr Dohnal
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to announce that the Future Forces Forum 2021, enhancing and supporting defence and security technologies, is once again being organized under the auspices of the Prison Service of the Czech Republic.
2020 has been somewhat a specific year and a tough one for all of us. Globally, we have gone through several pandemic waves and restrictive measures where only the future will show us their social consequences and ways and methods on how to overcome them. I am therefore glad for this multinational meeting of security experts where, without doubt, the current situation and its solutions will be the topic of many panels and casual conversations as well.
Security and defence take many forms in today’s globalized world. Everything is intertwined and interdependent. What we had a chance to witness with the Covid-19 is that any single thing that emerges in one area or single country quickly spreads further and, in the end, reaches a global level. Hence, cooperation and mutual assistance are so crucial. Taking into consideration the specific correctional environment, the Czech Prison Service has adopted a number of protective measures which limit the infection proliferation among inmates and also staff members. In 2020 the prison service also started manufacturing personal protective equipment being then used by health-care service providers, social-care homes, public administration, municipalities and other law-enforcement agencies.
In the correctional field per se, we have recently achieved many significant changes moving us to a level comparable with developed correctional systems of the West European area while, at the same time, following in the best traditions of the pre-war Czechoslovak penitentiary system. With efficient outcomes, we are putting into practice the Government’s long-term penitentiary development conception. Reducing the number of prison types has proved itself beneficial, as well as empowering the prison service with more authority concerning the decision-making process assigning prisoners into particular prison regimes. The current decline of the prison population facilitates an increased efficacy of prisoner resocialization methods, thus further reduces the criminal recidivisms risks. The aforementioned positively contributes and betters the security standards which the Czech Prison Service provides and guarantees to both the society and prisoners.
I firmly believe that participation of the Czech Prison Service at the FFF 2021 will present a worthy continuation of its presence at past editions. I look forward to meeting the partners and supporters of this important international event.
