Jul22546 European Enterprise Awards 2025 nitially founded way back in the 1950s, Vernd fangahjálp is an Icelandic non-profit organisation specialising in serving individuals who are either in prison, have recently been released from prison, or are serving their sentence outside of prison walls. As Vernd works with both incarcerated people and those re-entering society, many of these individuals have complex social needs to consider, such as employment, housing, and both their mental and physical health conditions. Of course, Vernd is well aware that behind nearly every incarceration is a family – be it parents, children, siblings, or a spouse – and it also provides them with all of the guidance and support that they need. Just some examples of the services Vernd provides are support to people whilst they are in prison, such as regular visits and helping them preparing for life on the outside, as well as offering transitional housing (also known as a halfway house) through the Áfangaheimilið Vernd facility. Other ways in which this non-profit organisation offers support is by helping navigate issues relating to the social issues above (especially housing and tax matters) and matching people to employers or placements through its partner network. All of these services converge to form what is Vernd’s mission: to support reintegration and help people to build a stable and law-abiding future in the wake of conviction or incarceration. The way to do this is by offering structured assistance across the key areas of housing, treatment, and either finding work or pursuing education. There is a real emphasis on giving people a practical path back into society across these services and ensuring that they do not ‘fall through the cracks’ of the system and end up back inside it. This aim has remained largely unchanged in the decades since Vernd first opened its doors, and it has been helping those it works with to help themselves – blending structured expectations and support with a degree of freedom – to build personal responsibility and introduce stability into the lives of those whose worlds have been turned upside down by a conviction or sentence. Although its focus may be the same, two things that have changed over the years are the form these services take and the scope of their delivery. As Thrainn told us: “Vernd has developed into a more structured reintegration pathway for those we serve, blending housing and certain ‘activity’ requirements [work, education, treatment, etc.] with intensive coordination and key services and employers.” One of the most notable ways Vernd has evolved its rehabilitation and support offerings over the last decade or so has been the introduction of electronic monitoring – which is a way of enforcement outside of Best Criminal Rehabilitation & Support Initiative 2025 Navigating the justice system in any country is no easy task, as it requires a formulaic combination of determination, understanding, and skill to support those individuals who have come into contact with it over the course of their lives, regardless of what capacity this may be in. For more than 60 years, Vernd has embodied these characteristics as it has worked on prisoners’ issues across Iceland. Recognised in this programme for the rehabilitation and support it provides to those in the space, Vernd’s CEO, Thrainn Farestveit, was on hand for more on its vital work. prison. Working alongside other service providers in the realm, the organisation will see that the individual is set up to be monitored at their residence via an electronic tag, allowing them to serve their sentence (or the remainder of) outside a prison or a halfway house, providing they comply with the terms laid out to them. In essence, this encapsulates what makes Vernd a distinctive force in this sector, which is simply that it sits somewhere in the middle of prison and freedom, acting as a beacon in the dark and providing people who may otherwise struggle with their place to access housing, employment, follow-up support, and everything else they need to reintegrate. Given that overcrowding remains one the major issues facing European prisons today – Iceland is no exception – the justice systems in countries across the continent are increasingly turning to alternatives to traditional imprisonment to ease this pressure. Vernd’s work complements this shift, and its contributions to a more humane form of rehabilitation is reflected through the Áfangaheimilið Vernd halfway house mentioned above. In Iceland, Áfangaheimilið Vernd is frequently described as the country’s only halfway house (in the justice reintegration sense) and the Prison and Probation Administration points to it as the halfway house that it has an agreement with. The close ties it has with this governing body, as well as the Directorate of Labour and social service agencies across the country, has seen this facility make huge strides in promoting improved social inclusion. For those wondering how this halfway house is different to a typical prison, Thrainn explained: “Individuals serve their sentences in a community-based environment rather than in a closed prison setting. They can stay for up to 24 months, receiving structured guidance, accommodation, and opportunities for employment or education during their time here.” This is not about being ‘soft’, it’s about helping to plan for a life beyond prison. This initiative has began to catch to the eye of key decision makers across Iceland, resulting in Vernd making significant contributions to prison and reform policy at a national level. Detailing this, Thrainn described how the organisation formally proposed to Althing (the supreme national parliament of Iceland) that the government move away from its title of ‘Correctional Policy’ and instead adopt a new and improved framework: the ‘State Policy on Treatment and Rehabilitation in Prison Affairs’, which it quickly accepted. One of the most significant advances in Iceland’s penal policy in decades, the change marked a decisive shift from a punitive ideology towards a therapeutic, rehabilitative one, reflecting Vernd’s longI Contact: Thrainn Farestveit Company: Vernd fangahjálp Web Address: https://vernd.is/
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