Previous Article
News
CEP Awards winner in the spotlight part 3: Research Award
In October 2016, CEP launched the CEP awards, a celebration of outstanding contributions to probation. The awards scheme reflects CEP’s vision: to contribute to safer communities by rehabilitating and reintegrating offenders and providing the best possible interventions to reduce re-offending and the impact of crime. Third of 4 categories is the Research Award. Winner is Professor Peter Raynor from the department of Criminology, Swansea University, for his ‘Jersey Supervision Skills Study’. Research which has made an outstanding contribution to probation practice.
The Jersey Supervision skills study aims to measure the impact of skills in probation work. Videotaped interviews were produced by a group of probation officers and analysed by researchers using a checklist designed to identify the range of skills used in one-to-one supervision. Reconviction rates were found to be significantly lower among those whose supervisors were assessed as using a wider range of skills.
The study is based on 95 video-recorded interviews with people under supervision or pre-sentence investigation, provided by most of the probation staff who have responsibility for supervising offenders in the British Channel Island of Jersey. The aims of the study were to document and measure the use of interview skills by participating staff, and to ascertain whether differences in observed skills were related to differences in outcomes for people under supervision. A subsidiary aim was to develop a checklist for the observation of skills which could function both as a research instrument and as a training resource for practitioners themselves. The checklist and video recording of interviews have been incorporated into Jersey Probation Supervision practice and the checklist has been provided to over 30 different organisations worldwide to date. It shows that Probation Works. Jersey Probation Service outcome measures which were already strong continue to improve following the use of the checklist.
Outcomes
The study shows what skills are used and the effects of skilled supervision. On average, the staff scored more highly in the relationship skills than in the structuring skills. This may reflect the fact that most Jersey probation officers have qualified as social workers (as probation officers in England and Wales did before 1998) and relationship skills tend to feature strongly in social work training, whereas several of the structuring skills are more likely to be encountered, if at all, in post-qualifying or in-service training.
People supervised by more skilled staff were significantly less likely to be reconvicted over a two-year follow-up, and the most effective supervisors combined good relationship skills with a range of ‘structuring’ or change-promoting skills. In effect, this can be regarded as a test of the impact of social work skills used by probation staff and suggests that a closer relationship between mainstream social work research and probation research could be productive for both.
The checklist and video recording of interviews have been incorporated into Jersey Probation Supervision practice and the checklist has been provided to over 30 different organisations worldwide to date. It shows that Probation Works. Jersey Probation Service outcome measures which were already strong continue to improve following the use of the checklist.
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
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 AGM of EuroPris.
Program of AGM constituted of Annual and Financial report for 2024; Planning 2025/2026; report from the Staff Exchange Programme, Future Expert group topics and Measures to prevent and reduce Prison Overcrowding. Also, there were parallel workshops on the topics of Staff Wellbeing, Future of Prisons and Prison Security.
Board elections also took place. CEP would like to thank Caron MaCaffrey, departing president, for excellent cooperation in the previous period, and CEP congratulates Mr Jan-Erik Sandlie (Norway), elected President and Ms Ioana Morar (Romania), elected Vice-President.
At the end of the program, a ceremony for the Prison Achievement Award took place, and CEP took this opportunity to congratulate Türkiye on receiving this important award.
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.
Recap
CEP Events, Framework Decisions
Recap: Expert Workshop on Framework Decision 2008/947/JHA and 2009/829/JHA
16/09/2025
The Expert Workshop held on September 10–11, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium, brought together senior managers, probation practitioners, criminal justice professionals such as lawyers and prosecutors from across Europe as well as representatives of the European Commission, Academy of European Law and European Judicial Network to discuss the advancements in the implementation of Framework Decisions 2008/947/JHA and 2009/829/JHA. Hosted at the Houses of Justice, the CEP Expert Workshop served as a dynamic platform for mutual learning, collaboration, and strategic planning.
Subscribe to our bi-monthly email newsletter!
- Keep up to date with important probation developments and insights.