Previous Article
News
Interesting article: ‘Probation Officer as a Coach: Building a New Professional Identity’
This article is about the report “Probation Officer as a Coach: Building a New Professional Identity’, which was published in the Federal Probation Journal, June 2018. The editors are Brian K. Lovins (Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department), Francis T. Cullen (University of Cincinnati), Edward J. Latessa (University of Cincinnati) and Cheryl Leo Jonson (Xavier University).
In America the amount of probationers is growing massively, one out of 53 people is under probation supervision. According to Lovins et al. a continuing concern is what role a probation officer should play in the live of a probationer.
“In traditional discourse, role choices have often been posed in dichotomous terms whether officers were going to emphasize treatment or control. We suggest, however, that it may be more useful to move beyond these stale categories. Instead, we propose that probation (and parole) officers might benefit from a different concept of who they are and what they do: probation officer as a coach.”
In the report you can read that Lovins et al. describe the current probation officer as a referee and they suggest to work more in the same way as a coach. According to them this results in new opportunities and it is more effective than the referee method. “Our argument is developed in three sections. First, we propose that too often the current probation officer role is best conceptualised as being a “referee.” We use the probation officer as referee as a way of showing what, in contrast, a coach’s role would entail. Second, we examine the skills that a probation officer as coach would need to possess to supervise offenders effectively. And third, we discuss the potential benefits that would accrue should probation officers be conceptualised as part of the coaching profession. Notably, coaching has broadened beyond athletic teams to include diverse pathways (e.g., life coaches, executive coaches, personal trainers).”
Please click on the link to read ‘Probation Officer as a Coach: Building a New Professional Identity’.
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
CEP
CEP annual report
07/04/2026
The Confederation of European Probation (CEP) has published its Annual Report 2025, showcasing a year marked by growth, cooperation, and continued commitment to strengthening probation across Europe.
Bringing together more than 100 member organisations across 42 countries and 59 jurisdictions, CEP continued to serve as a central platform for knowledge exchange, professional development, and collaboration within the European criminal justice field.
Uncategorized
ProtectEU: Commission presents new counterterrorism agenda
07/04/2026
On 26 February 2026, the European Commission presented ProtectEU, a renewed EU counterterrorism agenda aimed at strengthening the Union’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to evolving terrorist threats.
New
Probation in Europe
New Vodcast Episode: Jana Spero Kamenjarin on the Confederation of European Probation (CEP)
07/04/2026
The 19th episode of Division_Y features Jana Spero Kamenjarin, Secretary General of the Confederation of European Probation (CEP), based in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
New
Electronic monitoring
Electronic Monitoring in Europe: Insights from the 13th Electronic Monitoring conference Questionnaire
30/03/2026
The 13th Electronic Monitoring (EM) conference Questionnaire has now been released, offering a comprehensive overview of how EM is applied across Europe today.ion.
New
CEP members
New CEP member: Guernsey Probation Service
25/03/2026
In recent weeks, CEP has interviewed individual members and representatives of the new member organisations that joined CEP at the beginning of 2026. In these interviews, the new member organisations or individual members will share information on why they decided to become members, how they would like to contribute to the development of CEP and many more.
Enjoy reading!
Recap
Probation outside Europe
Recap: CEP and APPA webinar
25/03/2026
Confederation of European Probation (CEP) and American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) hosted the second joint webinar on 24 March 2026, this time on “Integrity of Performance: Ensuring Meaningful and Ethical Outcomes”.
The overarching theme of integrity of performance was explored through two distinct perspectives on this fundamental concept.
Subscribe to our bi-monthly email newsletter!
- Keep up to date with important probation developments and insights.