CEP Newsletter

Japan in full preparation for the 3rd World Congress on Probation

After having taken the initiative for the First International Congress on Probation (London 2013) and a successful Second World Congress on Community Corrections (Los Angeles 2015), CEP was very pleased to learn that the Rehabilitation Services of Japan will organise the Third World Congress on Probation in 2017. It is time to see how Japan is preparing for this big event. That is why CEP did an interview with Akiko Tashiro. One of the organisers of the Third World Congress on Probation.

Click here to read the interview >>

Conferences you shouldn't miss

CJP’s International Criminal Justice Summer Courses 2017
(4 - 7 July 2017, Barcelona)

The Criminal Justice Platform is launching a new event in Barcelona July 2017. The focus will be on developing practice. Expert practitioners will be running courses for colleagues from across Europe.

Third World Congress on Probation (12-14 September 2017, Tokyo Japan)

Japan cordially invites you to attend the Third World Congress on Probation, where we look forward to welcoming policymakers, practitioners and researchers involved in probation and community corrections from all over the world.

Cross Border Workshop( 21-22 September 2017, Utrecht, Netherlands)

In order to be able to organise European Framework Decision 829, it is important to share knowledge and experience. For this reason, The International Office of the Dutch Probation Service (Bureau Buitenland) in cooperation with the Public Prosecutor will organize a Cross Border Workshop on the 21st and 22nd of September.

The five stages of prisoner reentry

Ioan Durnescu, former CEP Board Member and professor and researcher at the Bucharest University, wrote a paper on the five stages of reentry that prisoners go through after they get released from prison. The research was done on 58 former prisoners from the Jilava prison in Bucharest.

Read his paper and an interview with Ioan Durnescu here >>

Slovenian Government adopts the wording of the Draft Probation Act

The reform of criminal procedure, the establishment of a probation office and financial incentives for foreign investment are just a few of the numerous topics addressed by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia at its regular session today.

With European funds the Slovenian government today adopted the wording of the Draft Probation Act, which establishes a single probation authority. Probationary duties are currently performed by the state prosecutor’s office, centres for social work and prisons, while house arrest is supervised by the courts alone or in cooperation with the police.

Brian Heath has been made Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

Brian Heath, Board Member of CEP, has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in the UK for services to probation in Jersey. Brian has worked for Jersey Probation and After Care Service (JPACS) since 1983. He became Chief Probation Officer in 1999. Brian has been a key driver in innovation and development in probation practice design.

CEP congratulates Brian Heath on this important and richly deserved award and acknowledgement of his contribution to probation.

Expert meeting Stockholm: the use of applications in probation

During the conference „Alternatives to detention”, organized by the Confederation of European Probation (CEP) in Bucharest, Romania (6-7 October 2016), the workshop session „Technology in the process of alternatives to detention” was held, where the utility of web and smartphone based applications within probation practices was discussed. It was identified that very similar developments were emerging in various European countries. Considering this important developmental trend of probation practice and in cooperation with the Swedish Correctional Service (Kriminalvarden), the CEP organized an expert meeting in Stockholm, Sweden (9-10 March 2017) on the development and implementation of applications in probation practice.

Read the report on this expert meerting here >>

PNBI wins award for Changing Lives app

As part of adopting and developing innovative digital technologies to deliver probation services, the Probation Board for Northern Ireland, created a mobile application called 'Changing Lives' for people under supervision. This app provides support for people on probation through a journal to capture thoughts, a calendar to help remember appointments, useful information on Probation, advice on mental health/addictions, and an easy to use contacts section.

The App was launched in October 2016 and has created a lot of international interest with its innovative approach to reducing the causes of offending behavior.. In June 2017 this pioneering approach was recognised by a highly experienced panel of Judges at the Digital DNA where it won App of the Year.”

RAN radicalisation in probation meeting in Dublin

The second meeting of the RAN Prison and Probation Working Group in 2017 took place in Dublin on 22nd and 23rd of May, in close collaboration with the Confederation of European Probation. The meeting was hosted by the Irish Probation Service. Participants were mainly experts on probation both on practitioner and policy level. Some of them already had vast experience with CVE/PVE and/or are tasked to deal with it, while some others were dealing with the topic as one of the challenges for current probation practice. A representative of the European Commission (DG Home Affairs and Migration) also attended the meeting.