Fence with lights in the background

Association for Legal Intervention: ‘No Detention Necessary’ in Poland

Association for Legal Intervention

The organisation

The Association for Legal Intervention (SIP) is a Polish civil society organisation based in Warsaw. SIP’s primary objective is to take steps aimed at ensuring that human rights are respected and that no individual is treated unequally, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, religion and migration status.

SIP seeks to encourage social cohesion by promoting the equality of all people in the face of the law. The organisation primarily supports refugees and migrants in Poland, given the high risks that these groups face of being socially excluded or discriminated against. SIP’s activities range from provision of legal advice and representation, to supporting migrants to navigate Polish systems and access essential services, to advocating for the rights of people on the move with decision makers.

The pilot & main goals

SIP’s pilot project – ‘No Detention Necessary’ – promotes and expands the use of ATD by implementing an engagement-based case management model based on the Revised Community Assessment and Placement (CAP) model, developed by the International Detention Coalition (IDC). The pilot team has supported people released from detention, referred to SIP by the authorities, with holistic case management, legal aid and psychological care. Engagement with the authorities has been key for developing a shared understanding of what successful ATD looks like.

For SIP, implementation of an ATD pilot project has been an opportunity to test the CAP model in the context of a so called `transit country` and convince decision makers that engagement-based ATDs are effective, thus contributing to a reduction in the use of detention.

Resources

To learn more about SIP’s ATD pilot in Poland, click here.

To read the evaluation report for the first 2-year phase of SIP’s ATD pilot, click here.