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.
Recap
Caseload and workload
Recap: Workshop on Caseload and Workload
28/05/2026
On 27 and 28 May 2026, Bucharest hosted the CEP Workshop on Caseload and Workload: Supporting Sustainable Probation Through the Human Dimension. With 40 participants representing 18 European jurisdictions, as well as delegates from South Korea, the workshop offered opportunities to exchange knowledge and develop strategies to manage the increasing caseload and workload in probation. Designed as an interactive space, it provided participants – practitioners, managers, researchers and experts – with reflections on current pressures within probation services and it explored practical, evidence‑informed solutions from across Europe.
Recap
Caseload and workload
Recap: Expert group on Caseload and Workload
28/05/2026
On Tuesday 26 May 2026 CEP Expert Group on Caseload and Workload gathered in Bucharest, Romania, for its annual face-to-face meeting, held ahead of the Workshop on Caseload and Workload: Supporting Sustainable Probation Through the Human Dimension. Hosted by the National Probation Directorate, Ministry of Justice, Romania, the meeting was opened by the Deputy Director Diana Mustatea and CEP Secretary General Jana Špero Kamenjarin. They both stressed the importance and relevance of the topic in supporting effective and sustainable approaches to caseload and workload management, contributing to improved outcomes for both staff and service delivery.
Recap
Mental Health
Recap: Third CEP webinar on the new European Mental Health Curriculum
26/05/2026
On 21 May 2026, the Confederation of European Probation (CEP) hosted the webinar “The European Mental Health Curriculum for Probation Officers”, bringing together probation professionals, mental health experts, policymakers, and practitioners from across Europe to present an innovative training initiative aimed at strengthening mental health awareness and competencies within probation services.
New
Probation in Europe
New Vodcast Episode: Anke Spoorendonk on the Role of Probation in Justice Policy
21/05/2026
The 20th episode of Division_Y features Anke Spoorendonk, former State Minister of Justice in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, representing the Danish minority party SSW.
New
Mental Health
CEP publishes European Mental Health Training Curriculum for Probation Staff and launches Pilot Implementation Initiative
19/05/2026
In this article, you can explore the newly published European Mental Health Training Curriculum for Probation Officers, learn about the call for a national pilot implementation, and find details about the upcoming webinar on 21 May presenting the curriculum modules.
New
Mental Health
Mental Health Awareness Week: strengthening probation practice through mental health
13/05/2026
This week, during Mental Health Awareness Week, the Confederation of European Probation is highlighting the importance of mental health in probation practice across Europe.
Subscribe to our bi-monthly email newsletter!
- Keep up to date with important probation developments and insights.