Skip to content

News

Oslo Seminar on assessment and pre-sentence reports: Rob Canton looks back

CEP looks back on a successful international seminar on assessment and pre-sentence reports, hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security in Oslo, 10th-11th May 2012. Rob Canton, Professor at De Montfort University, UK, attended the event and gives his perspective: “Two different approaches to assessment were represented at the seminar, one that is focused directly on risk assessment and one that recognises that assessment is part of a process of intervention that depends heavily on the relationship between offender and probation officer.”

Rob Canton
Assessment
The probation officer’s assessment of an offender is the starting point in all purposeful work. It is a systematic process that the officer uses to help avoid reoffending. Many countries use assessment instruments to guide staff in this process. “I’ve seen,” says Rob Canton, “that these instruments can be of great help because it enables us to keep track of the probation officer’s work. A drawback is that not all risk, need and strength factors can be expressed in a straightforward way. Numerical scores can be misleading and of limited guidance in directing work. Assessment is an exploration as much as it is a discovery.”

Pre-sentence reports
The pre-sentence report is written by a probation officer to help the court with its sentencing decision. “A pre-sentence report can be seen as the shop window to what the probation service does,” explains Rob Canton. “Here the probation service’s work is most visible to courts and this is an opportunity to demonstrate the quality and trustworthiness of probation. If probation is to be a real alternative to custody, courts must have confidence in the service. It is good to raise the issue of quality because in the UK, for example, the pressure is on to produce quick reports. The mounting demand can result in ‘tick box questionnaires’ in which aspects of the work get lost.”

Risk vs. relationship
The seminar was attended by 74 participants from 22 different countries. The international character of the event was reflected in the plenary sessions and workshop topics with differing views on pre-sentence reports and assessment. In this session, he focused on the Probation Rules’ requirements about assessment, especially the assessment of risk. “There are instruments such as OASys in the UK (presentation of Mr. Philip Howard), that attempt to assess the risk that the offender poses. Such predictions are very useful for the probation service and policy makers. I think, however, it does not stop there because the assessment is not an end in itself, it is a guide to probation practice. We do not want to predict crimes, we want to prevent them.”

Jan-Erik Sandlie, deputy DG of the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, presented BRIK, the newly developed assessment instrument. It is based on the idea that the appropriate help and services can only be offered after the resources and need of the offender are identified. “This makes it a striking contrast to Anglo-American approaches to assessment,” says Rob Canton, “because risk assessment is no longer the primary goal.”

Pre-trial custody
On the second day, the programme was opened by Professor Anthea Hucklesby of the University of Leeds, UK. In her presentation, she spoke about pre-trial detention. In Rob Canton’s opinion, she raised a topic that deserves more attention from CEP because in reducing pre-trial detention, custody rates can be brought down. “It was instructive to see that in countries with relatively low custody rates, a significant part of the prison population has not yet been sentenced. In Italy it was even up to 82%! Anthea challenged probation services to bring down the numbers by providing alternatives to custody on remand and improve the criminal justice system in this way.”

Seminar evaluation
The evaluation forms of the seminar were returned with positive feedback from the international guests. The opportunity to network was often mentioned, sometimes requesting more of it. Rob Canton is quick to say that these opportunities are an essential element of a successful seminar: “I always enjoy attending CEP events because I get to make new contacts in a more informal way. I think that these connections are at the basis of European cooperation based on mutual respect.”

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.

Probation in Europe

New Vodcast Episode: Leo Tigges on Probation Capacity Building

09/10/2025

The 15th episode of Division_Y features Leo Tigges, a freelancing consultant and former Secretary General of the Confederation of European Probation (CEP).

In this episode, host Jo Tein (CEP board member) speaks with Leo about his professional journey and his co-authored publication with Steve Pitts on Probation Capacity Building. The discussion highlights international collaboration, knowledge exchange, and strategies for strengthening probation systems across Europe.

▶️ Watch the full interview (English with German subtitles) below

New

Framework Decisions

CEP Updates Framework Decision 947 Guides

06/10/2025

CEP has released updated versions of its guides for persons under probation supervision and for probation staff, reflecting its continued commitment to cross-border cooperation in criminal justice. These revisions aim to promote broader use of Framework Decision 947, which facilitates the mutual recognition of probation measures and alternative sanctions across EU member states.

 

The guides are to be found here.

Recap

ITSCCS

Building Core Skills, Building Connections: V edition of the ITSCCS 2025 in Barcelona

03/10/2025

Barcelona was the stage for the CEP International Training School on Core Correctional Skills (ITSCCS) 2025, held from 29 September to 3 October. Over five days, the Centre d’Estudis Jurídics i Formació Especialitzada became a hub for practitioners eager to sharpen the practical tools that define effective work in the criminal justice field.

Recap

Partners

CEP participated at the 14th Annual General Meeting of EuroPris

01/10/2025

On 23 September 2025, in Krakow, Poland, Jana Spero Kamenjarin, CEP Secretary General, participated in the 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of EuroPris.

Recap

CEP Board, Probation in Europe

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

01/10/2025

On 24–25 September 2025, Kraków, Poland, hosted the 30th Council of Europe Conference of Directors of Prison and Probation Services (CDPPS) under the theme “Can we move away from the overuse of penal sanctions?”. The event gathered high-level participants — Directors General from member and observer states and representatives of the supporting organisations.

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.

Subscribe to our bi-monthly email newsletter!