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The first meeting of the group has been a crucial meeting. This meeting has represented the kick-off of the work plan that the group will develop over the next two years.
The experiences of two European jurisdictions were presented in relation to the intervention with cases people under Probation with Mental Health issues. The Croatian and Maltese experiences were presented.
At the second part of the meeting Professor Charlie Brooker from Royal Holloway, University of London presented The European survey of probation staff’s knowledge of, and attitudes to, mental illness (online).
Eoin P Ryan from the Irish Probation Service and Expert Group member presented a possible Action plan for the group to work upon the next two years.
Ana Cristina Neves, Head of the Community Sanctions and Measures Division in Portugal, and Chair of the Expert Group conducted interesting discussions and exchanges between experts of the group.
The next meeting of the group will be online in 2025.
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.
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.
The 14th episode of Division_Y features Katharina Heitz, Head of the Central Department for Social Work at the Public Probation and Parole Service Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
The Confederation of European Probation (CEP) had a strong presence at the 25th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology (EUROCRIM 2025), held in Athens from 3 to 6 September 2025. As one of Europe’s largest gatherings of criminologists, the ESC annual conference brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world to exchange knowledge on crime, justice, and social responses. This year’s theme was “Logos of Crime and Punishment,” inspired by classical Greek philosophy.
The European Commission has opened a Call for Evidence on the Digitalisation of Justice: 2025–2030 European Judicial Training Strategy.
At a time when many parole systems are experiencing considerable strain, the aims of this collection are twofold: first, to encourage systematic and critical reflection on the rationalities, institutions and practices of parole. Second, to think big, and pose ambitious ‘what if’ questions about the possible futures of parole and prison release. Offering novel insights from Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America, this collection builds the case for, and then showcases, a ‘way of doing’ parole research that is global in outlook, interdisciplinary in approach and unapologetically normative in character.
The 13th episode of Division_Y features an in-depth conversation with Prof. Bernd Maelicke, one of Germany’s most respected voices in prison and probation reform.
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