Previous Article
News
“Changing Lives” to raise Awareness and Confidence in Community Sentencing
Probation Board for Northern Ireland launch film “Changing Lives” to raise Awareness and Confidence in Community Sentencing
The Probation Board for Northern Ireland have published a film on YouTube to raise awareness of and confidence in community sentencing.
The 10-minute-long film “Changing Lives: The Inside Story of the Probation Service” shines a light on the impact community sentences have on the lives of people who have committed crime help them to break the cycle of offending. The film highlights real stories of transformation, providing a look at the realities faced by those on Probation.
Viewers will hear from Probation Officers, a service user, a victim of crime, a lecturer on Criminology and a District Court Judge. Each person interviewed tells of an important part about the work of Probation and how community sentencing can change lives for safer communities.
The film has been published online on the Probation Board for Northern Ireland YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzIoL0H86v4
Chief Executive Amanda Stewart said: “Probation is a public service which works to protect the public and reduce reoffending by supervising people who have offended in the community while overseeing their rehabilitation and resettlement. Sometimes it can be difficult to articulate to the public exactly what probation does. The best way of describing it, is that we help people to change their lives. This video shows in a simple way the work that Probation Officer’s carry out and the impact they can make on people’s lives”.
Che a service user featured in the film speaks of the changes he has made to his life: “I don’t know where I’d be without probation. I currently live in a temporary homeless shelter and my probation officer has been amazing and has helped me with my mental health and accessing housing. This is a second chance, and you can show to your family and the rest of the world that you’re not a bad person you’ve made mistakes but now you’re doing well.”
Criminologist Dr Brian Payne from Ulster University explains the benefit of community sentencing: “Community sentencing is an opportunity to promote people’s rehabilitation back into the community. Probation officers have extensive powers to ensure that a court order is upheld. They can go into people’s families and their houses, speak to their employers and make decisions that can be fed back to the courts. Whilst it can be difficult to directly compare sentences, research shows that people on community sentences are less likely to reoffend than those serving short prison sentences.”

Photo
Dr Brian Payne, Justice Minister Naomi Long, Lady Chief Justice The Right Honourable Dame Siobhan Keegan, Probation Chief Executive Amanda Stewart, Blue Lights Co-Creator Declan Lawn and Ulster University Professor Cathy Gormley-Heenan at the launch of Probation’s film “Changing Lives: The Inside Story of the Probation Service”
NOTES
- Keynote speaker at the launch was Lady Chief Justice The Right Honourable Dame Siobhan Keegan, along with Dr Brian Payne, Senior Lecturer and Course Director for Criminology and Criminal Justice at Ulster University. The Justice Minister Naomi Long MLA introduced the film and Probation Chief Executive Amanda Stewart also spoke. There was an audience with Blue Lights Co-Creator Declan Lawn followed by an engaging questions and answer session.
- The film can be accessed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzIoL0H86v4
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.
CEP Board
Meet the CEP Board
22/10/2025
The General Assembly takes place every three years. The last General Assembly was held on 15 October 2025 in Vienna, Austria.
The CEP Board has a President, two Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer and a maximum of eight ordinary Board members. The General Assembly elects the President, two Vice-Presidents and a minimum of three and a maximum of five other board members from among its members. Three members may be appointed by the Board from among the full or associated members to ensure that the specific expertise and interests are represented. The Board appoints the Treasurer, who can be a board member or an ex-officio board member of which an explanation is given in the internal regulations.
Recap
CEP Events, CEP members, Gender-based violence
CEP 15th General Assembly and International Conference on Gender-Based Violence in Probation
16/10/2025
From 14 to 16 October 2025, Vienna hosted the 15th CEP General Assembly and the CEP International Conference on Gender-Based Violence in Probation: Challenges and Lessons Learned. The event, organized in cooperation with NEUSTART, brought together over 100 CEP members, probation professionals, policymakers, and researchers from across Europe to reflect, exchange experiences, and discuss the topic of gender-based violence from the perspective of probation, restorative justice and prison.
New
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.
Subscribe to our bi-monthly email newsletter!
"*" indicates required fields
- Keep up to date with important probation developments and insights.