30th Council of Europe CDPPS Conference: Can we move away from the overuse of penal sanctions?

On Thursday 5 November an annual meeting of the Expert Network on Framework Decisions 829 and 947 took place online. Bringing together 20 participants from 12 EU jurisdictions including representatives of the Academy of European Law and European Judicial Network, the meeting provided an opportunity to exchange experiences, discuss current implementation challenges and identify priorities for enhancing cross-border cooperation in the application of the two Framework Decisions. 

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From 3 to 5 November 2026, representatives of the Confederation of European Probation (CEP) participated in the 16th Plenary Meeting of the Council for Penological Co-operation (PC-CP).

In recent decades, the violent radicalisation of juveniles and young adults has become a pressing concern for policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and communities worldwide. While considerable attention has been devoted to psychological vulnerabilities, socio-economic marginalisation, and community-level influences, the broader context in which violent radicalisation develops is often overlooked. At the same time, the increasing involvement of young people in violent extremist offences highlights the urgent need for effective prevention efforts. Addressing youth radicalisation has become a complex and evolving challenge for families, educators, mental health professionals, law enforcement agencies, probation services, and security authorities.

At CEP, we are fascinated by research from across Europe and beyond, and by helping it reach the people who can use it. Ruth Armstrong, CEP Research and Policy Officer, went to the 26th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology (EuroCrim 2026 – Working Group on Community Sanctions and Measures) that took place in Warsaw, Poland, from 9–12 September 2026.

Against a backdrop of overcrowded prisons and net-widening (with ever more people drawn into supervision), three questions kept coming up in the research: how time shapes justice, what we mean by success, and how we define harm.