Introduction

Questions regarding how to improve the transitional phase from prison to life in society after release have gained major importance in the last decade in criminal policy. All over the world, release preparation and resettlement practice are being discussed with the aim of reducing the negative effects of imprisonment and re-offending rates. Discussions on the resettlement of offenders in many countries have effected structural reorganizations within the prison and probation services, which in turn have promoted reforms improving the resettlement process. The European Prison Rules of 2006 set standards for release preparation during the offenders' stay in prison. From a linguistic perspective, prisoner re-entry rather describes the moment of release, whereas resettlement adds an aim. We think that the term "prisoner resettlement" works best, as it comprises the whole process including release preparation within prison, probation and aftercare. In the United States, the term "prisoner re-entry" is more common.