Previous Article
News
CEP and EGPA team up
CEP and EGPA, the European Group for Prisoners Abroad, have joined forces. Since last March, EGPA goes on as the CEP Expert Group on Foreign Nationals. “Thanks to this structure, CEP has now a lot of specialist knowledge on an increasingly important matter in probation”, says Margareta Lindholm, CEP vice-president. “I think this topic will be an issue for all our member organisations in the coming years. Therefore we will focus attention on the specific needs of foreign national prisoners.”
The European Group for Prisoners Abroad (EGPA) was a network of independent organisations which support European citizens imprisoned outside their country of residence and away from their families. “In prison systems in many European countries, working with foreign national prisoners has already a very high priority. Without any doubt this soon will be the case for probation services as well”, predicts Pauline Crowe, Chief Executive of Prisoners Abroad in the UK and one of the members of the CEP Expert Group on Foreign Nationals.
Due to the increased mobility of EU-citizens, the number of foreign national prisoners is rising in every country in Europe. “As the vast majority of CEP member organisations are not active on this topic, I think this cross-national issue may add a new dimension to our probation work”, says Margareta Lindholm, who is the CEP liaison person for the Expert Group on Foreign Nationals. “Working with this new group of offenders prompts us to reflect on our strategy in prevention of re-offending. CEP can support this process now with its Expert Group on Foreign Nationals.”
Although foreign national prisoners are becoming an increasingly important group in the prison and probation sector, EGPA has been struggling to find exposure. “Our network consists of mainly small organisations”, explains Pauline Crowe. “We feel that we can strengthen the work of our network partners by sharing our knowledge more widely. By becoming the CEP Expert Group on Foreign Nationals, we can achieve that. If a member organisation of CEP has a request for information on foreign national prisoners, we are happy to respond it.”
The new expert group of CEP will make a name for itself when from the 16th until the 17th of October an international workshop will be held on foreign national prisoners. “The title of the workshop is ‘Foreigners in European prisons: sharing best practice’. It will be held in Nieuwersluis, in the Netherlands”, Pauline Crowe says. As soon as we know more about the workshop, we will inform CEP members through the newsletter.”
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!
- Keep up to date with important probation developments and insights.