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DECODEUR: comparable data on probation

Publication date: 28-6-2011

Article:

DECODEUR is the acronym. It stands for: Developing a Methodology to Collect Data on Community Sanctions and Measures and Attrition Rates in Europe. The title seems to sum it all up. The CEP newsletter nevertheless had nine questions for project manager Markku Heiskanen. "We have to make a questionnaire on probation that is applicable to all countries. So the process of compiling it needs a lot of attention."

What do you do for a living?
"I am a senior researcher at HEUNI, the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations. Our institute is located in Helsinki. I have thirty years experience in victimization surveys, crime statistics and police research. I am also involved in compiling the European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics, of which the fourth edition came out last summer." [latest report available in www.wodc.nl]

Where did the idea for the DECODEUR project come from?
"I think CEP Secretary General Leo Tigges was one of the persons who suggested that it would be fruitful to develop a methodology to collect reliable and comparable data on community sanctions and measures (CSM) in Europe. The European Sourcebook Group, a cooperation of twelve research institutes in Europe, discussed this internally and with CEP. We then came up with a proposal called DECODEUR. The European Union recently decided to fund the project, that will last 32 months."

What will be the first step?
"Well, the first step was writing the project proposal. That has already been accomplished. Now we must decide who is going to do what. At the end of June we have our first meeting in Göttingen. All twelve members of the European Sourcebook Group will be there and representatives from CEP as well. It has already been decided that HEUNI and the University of Göttingen will coordinate the research, which is quite a task to accomplish. In total there will be four meetings like the one in Göttingen, plus a larger one."

Why is it important to have reliable and comparable data on CSM and AR in Europe?
"Because we want member states to learn from each other. This is only possible if we use the same definitions or at least understand each other's definitions. We also need to know what is being done in which country at this moment. So the first real step will be to sort that out."

And how will this be done?
"At the meeting in Göttingen we will discuss how to set up a questionnaire that we first test within the group and then send to all European countries. This is not an easy task. There is a wide variety in community sanctions and measures. Definitions differ. Sometimes the same term means different things. We have to make a questionnaire that is applicable to all countries. So the process of compiling it needs a lot of attention."

In the past there have also been attempts to collect data on CSM in Europe through a questionnaire: SPACE II.
"Yes, that is true. The projects are partly similar. Professor Aebi, who initiated SPACE II, is member of the European Sourcebook Group and takes part in the DECODEUR project. We hope to learn a lot from him. We don't have the intention to compete with other projects. On the contrary. Eurostat is collecting more and more data in the field of criminal justice. Maybe they can collect the necessary data on probation in the future?"

What is the main difference between DECODEUR and SPACE II?
"To be honest, I don't know enough about SPACE II yet to really answer that question. I think DECODEUR tries to go deeper into definitions and backgrounds. SPACE II is the result of SPACE I, that was set up to collect prison data in all the Council of Europe member states. SPACE II, that focuses on probation, also was about collecting data. DECODEUR includes some research work as well."

What kind of research?
"The data we collect on concepts and definitions within the twelve European Sourcebook (ESB) group countries will be published as a separate report by HEUNI. Results from all European countries will be published in the fifth edition of the European Sourcebook of Crime an Criminal Justice Statistics. We will also add a chapter analyzing the data. At the end of the project we will use the data to set up a database at the WODC, the Research and Documentation Centre of the Dutch Ministry of Justice. This will facilitate future research."

Last question. How will the DECODEUR project change the work of Finnish, Russian or Greek probation officers in the future?
"Good question. I cannot say what governments will do with our statistics and research. I hope they will use the data to improve the probation services in their own country. I am very sure our data will be a great help - and an inspiration - if they decide to do so."