Previous Article
News
CEP Special Interest Group Prisoners Abroad adopts various strategies
What to do about the social rehabilitation of nationals in foreign prisons? How to deal with foreigners in your own prison system? These and other fundamental questions brought the attendees to the Prisoners Abroad Conference in Utrecht, The Netherlands, on March 10, 2011. The day became a platform for the presentation of a business case that states the importance of effective measures to combat recidivism among this group of prisoners.
Special Interest Group
The conference was the result of the CEP Special Interest Group (SIG) that focuses on nationals in foreign prisons. Rolf Streng, head of the foreign office of the Dutch Probation Agency, and John Walters, member of the board of Prisoners Abroad (and former CEP Secretary General), co-authored the above mentioned business case. With the business case, the SIG has set out its strategy to promote better care for the special group of prisoners.
More research
The conference established several issues where they see room for improvement, one of them the need for further research. At the conference, researcher Femke Hofstee-van der Meulen indicated in her presentation the needs of Dutch nationals in foreign detention in their preparation for release and upon return in the Netherlands. The main message of her presentation was that people in foreign prisons have special needs, incomparable to a regular detainees. “I have sent questionnaires to all 2,600 Dutch nationals in foreign detention and received a reply from 584 prisoners in 54 countries (93% of all Dutch nationals are detained in these 54 countries) and I carried out in-depth interviews in prisons around the world. I asked them about the kind of care they received from consular staff from the Dutch diplomatic post, visiting volunteers of the Dutch Probation Service and volunteers of the religious organisation Epafras. And what kind of effect this care had on their situation in detention and on their preparations for release” says Femke Hofstee. “I have seen how complicated the issues they face are and how important it is to invest also in the particular group once they return to the Netherlands. For this reason it is vital that awareness is raised about their special needs during detention but also upon release in order to facilitate a successful return into society. “
Spread awareness
One of the three afternoon discussion groups focused on research questions because research on broad trends or effectiveness of services can help to spread the message. “It was great to join the sub-group discussion on new research ideas at the conference and I saw some new ideas and viewpoints emerge,” says Femke Hofstee.
Create just policies
Parallel to the SIG business case, the Penological Council of the Council of Europe (PCCP) is currently preparing a Recommendation on Foreign Prisoners, which will set a minimum standard for the treatment of foreign national prisoners. Dirk van Zyl Smit, advisor to the PCCP with regard to this recommendation and professor of Comparative and International Penal Law at the University of Nottingham, presented on the Recommendation on Foreign Prisoners, which in its effect and process is similar to the Recommendation on Probation.
“The SIG business case, the new research and the CoE Recommendation on Foreign Prisoners all point out that there is an urgent need to improve the conditions of foreign national prisoners,” says Rolf Streng at the end of the conference. “In a very near future we will investigate how we can join forces to bring forward the topic of foreign national prisoners within CEP.”
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.
New
Uncategorized
Newsletter December 2025 out now, featuring the 2026 CEP Activity calendar
18/12/2025
CEP’s latest newsletter is out now! Articles on the CoPPer Final Project Conference, New CEP report: The European Survey of Probation Staff’s Stress and Morale, and more.>> Read here
Reading corner
Criminal Justice
Bridging Research and Practice in Forensic Social Work: An interview with the editors of Forensic Social Work – Supporting Desistance
17/12/2025
Supporting desistance while managing risk is at the heart of criminal justice social work across Europe. In Forensic Social Work – Supporting Desistance, editors Jacqueline Bosker, Anneke Menger and Vivienne de Vogel bring together scientific insights and everyday professional practice to support those working with justice-involved individuals. In this interview, they reflect on the motivation behind the English edition of the book, its core themes, and how professionals can use its tools and approaches in their daily work.
New
Mental Health
Why some court-ordered psychiatric patients remain in prison in Europe
15/12/2025
There is an urgent yet insufficiently recognised human-rights and public-health crisis unfolding across Europe: the systematic imprisonment of mentally ill individuals who have already been assessed by courts or psychiatric professionals as requiring treatment in secure psychiatric hospitals rather than confinement in correctional facilities. Evidence indicates that structural failings—including bed shortages, procedural delays, and fragmented legal and administrative frameworks—have produced a situation in which thousands of vulnerable individuals remain in prison in direct contravention of judicial orders, clinical assessments, and international human-rights obligations. This constitutes a largely invisible mental-health scandal, obscured by inconsistent data collection, political sensitivities, and the general invisibility of people in custody.
New
Partners
Memorandum of Understanding Signed Between CEP and RESCALED
11/12/2025
On 10 December 2025, at the CEP Headquarters in Utrecht, CEP and RESCALED signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening cooperation in areas of mutual interest. The MoU was signed by Rogier Elshout, Chair of Rescaled and Jana Špero Kamenjarin, CEP Secretary General, with the signing ceremony attended by Helen De Vos, Rescaled Executive Director and Daniel Danglades, CEP Vice-President.
Through this partnership, both organizations will work together to develop joint activities, exchange expertise, and support initiatives that advance their shared objectives.
This MoU reflects a commitment to transparent communication and the creation of new opportunities for joint projects and broader community impact.
New
Human rights and ethics
10 December – Human Rights Day
10/12/2025
CEP champions human rights because protecting dignity, fairness and equality is at the heart of effective probation. On 10 December, Human Rights Day, CEP celebrates the principle that everyone deserves respect and justice. Across Europe, CEP promotes social inclusion and supports the reintegration of people in contact with the criminal justice system. CEP strengthens community-based alternatives to imprisonment that reduce reoffending and build safer societies, advances professional and ethical probation practice, and connects practitioners, policymakers and researchers to share knowledge and promote humane justice. For CEP, justice is not only about punishment but also about opportunity, rehabilitation and respect for all.
Recap
CEP Events
Recap: First face-to-face meeting of the Expert Group Chairs
10/12/2025
On 9 December 2025, the CEP Office in Utrecht hosted the first face-to-face meeting of the Expert Group Chairs. The purpose of this meeting was to reintroduce the work of the Expert Groups and explore connections between work plans, opportunities for cooperation, and areas of common interest.
Subscribe to our bi-monthly email newsletter!
- Keep up to date with important probation developments and insights.