News
14th UNITED NATIONS Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, KYOTO.JAPAN 7 – 12 March 2021
“The 14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (the “Kyoto Congress”) will take place March 7-12, 2021
This is the largest event in the Justice calendar and takes place only every five years. As a result of the pandemic the event, postponed from last year, will be held in hybrid form with access to many events available on-line.
Two events in particular will feature a significant European contribution.
- UNAFEI (the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders) will organize a workshop on the subject of reducing re-offending over two days (Workshop 2: on March 8-9)
- The Rehabilitation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice of Japan will organize the first “World Congress on Community Volunteers Supporting Offender Reintegration’ on March 7th.
Although formal Congress registration (allowing requesting the floor) has closed, the workshop (and a number of other formal sessions) can be viewed on the UN website as an online audience. Follow the link and go to the UN webcast which will become live as the Congress begins.
To view the meetings (including the World Congress on Community Volunteers) held by the Japanese government, click here for registration as online audience.
Click here for the background paper to Workshop 2 , and here for the Concept note for the World Congress on Community Volunteers . Both include timetables (but note the time difference with Japan which means events will often be held during early morning in Europe – although many events will also be available to view on demand)”.

Related News
Keep up to date with the latest developments, stories, and updates on probation from across Europe and beyond. Find relevant news and insights shaping the field today.
Recap

Probation outside Europe
Governance Oversight and Accountability Mechanisms in Probation and Parole: Compare and Contrast Europe and USA
19/09/2025
Confederation of European Probation (CEP) and American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) organized an insightful webinar that introduced the theme “Governance oversight and accountability mechanisms in Probation and Parole. Compare and contrast Europe and USA”. This event took place on Thursday, 18 September 2025.
Recap

CEP Events, Framework Decisions
Recap: Expert Workshop on Framework Decision 2008/947/JHA and 2009/829/JHA
16/09/2025
The Expert Workshop held on September 10–11, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium, brought together senior managers, probation practitioners, criminal justice professionals such as lawyers and prosecutors from across Europe as well as representatives of the European Commission, Academy of European Law and European Judicial Network to discuss the advancements in the implementation of Framework Decisions 2008/947/JHA and 2009/829/JHA. Hosted at the Houses of Justice, the CEP Expert Workshop served as a dynamic platform for mutual learning, collaboration, and strategic planning.
New

Probation in Europe
New Vodcast Episode: Katharina Heitz on the Ressources-Risk-Inventory in Probation
11/09/2025
The 14th episode of Division_Y features Katharina Heitz, Head of the Central Department for Social Work at the Public Probation and Parole Service Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Recap

CEP Board, Probation in Europe
CEP at ESC 2025: Penal Policy Transfer and Ageing in Prison in Focus
08/09/2025
The Confederation of European Probation (CEP) had a strong presence at the 25th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology (EUROCRIM 2025), held in Athens from 3 to 6 September 2025. As one of Europe’s largest gatherings of criminologists, the ESC annual conference brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world to exchange knowledge on crime, justice, and social responses. This year’s theme was “Logos of Crime and Punishment,” inspired by classical Greek philosophy.

Probation in Europe, Technology
Have Your Say: EU Call for Evidence on the Digitalisation of Justice (2025–2030)
18/08/2025
The European Commission has opened a Call for Evidence on the Digitalisation of Justice: 2025–2030 European Judicial Training Strategy.
Reading corner

Criminal Justice
Parole Futures
18/08/2025
At a time when many parole systems are experiencing considerable strain, the aims of this collection are twofold: first, to encourage systematic and critical reflection on the rationalities, institutions and practices of parole. Second, to think big, and pose ambitious ‘what if’ questions about the possible futures of parole and prison release. Offering novel insights from Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America, this collection builds the case for, and then showcases, a ‘way of doing’ parole research that is global in outlook, interdisciplinary in approach and unapologetically normative in character.
Subscribe to our bi-monthly email newsletter!
"*" indicates required fields
- Keep up to date with important probation developments and insights.