The previous convention Ministry of Culture/National School of Penitentiary Administration (ENAP) having expired at the end of 2021, a new text was worked on throughout 2022 and signed on September 16 in Agen, in the presence of Noël Corbin.

The will of the General Delegation for Transmission, Territories and Cultural Democracy (DG2TDC), shared with the National School of Penitentiary Administration (ENAP), was to align this convention as best as possible, including the training part, the new culture/justice protocol signed on 14 March by Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin and Éric Dupont-Moretti, which reaffirms in particular the importance of training and professionalization of prison administration staff, An essential focus for the development of the culture/justice partnership.

This new convention has two objectives:

To enable, through the training of future professionals of the penitentiary, a stronger awareness and mobilization for the implementation of projects and cultural actions within the penitentiaries:
  • Training modules on cultural themes are designed and implemented as part of the initial and continuing training for all prison systems. Future penitentiary staff benefit from training modules around the development of cultural projects within penitentiaries.
  • These modules are an opportunity for students to experiment and confront an artistic field by meeting both artists and future colleagues who seize this practice in their professional missions. Continuing training on the theme of how to make culture live in prison also allows professionals to meet and exchange on their daily practices.
To promote the participation in the cultural life of pupils during their period of formation at ENAP and beyond through an ambitious cultural policy that translates into multiple actions for pupils:
  • ENAP thus offers a rich cultural programme (exhibitions, live performances, cultural outings etc.) that opens up relevant links between the training space and the approach of professionalization of students.
  • Students have the opportunity to develop their own projects, in order to carry a cultural identity and acquire professional skills.
  • Artist residencies feed the training path but also the institution, thanks to a collaborative and co-construction approach.