Previous Article
News
Jana Špero as the new CEP Secretary General
Utrecht (The Netherlands) September 2022 – CEP is pleased to announce Jana Špero as the new Secretary General (SG). Effective September 1st 2022, Ms Špero will step into the shoes of our retiring SG, Willem van der Brugge, and she will be the eleventh SG of CEP.
Jana Špero was the Director-General for Prisons and Probation in Croatia and board member/Vice-President of CEP. She is Master of Law and Master-Specialist of Criminal Investigation. As an International Consultant of the Council of Europe she was involved in different activities regarding the development of probation services: workshops, round tables and projects. She has been engaged as an expert in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Greece and other countries. Jana was also engaged as a TAIEX expert on probation and she has excellent cooperation with UNAFEI. She has been presenting Croatian Probation Service in many international conferences and was representative of Croatia in different international projects (STREAM Project, ISTEP etc.). She was the Project leader of the different EU Projects (IPA, Transition Facility, ESF) and Norway Grants Projects aimed to support development and strengthening of the Probation Service in Croatia. On regular basis she is speaker/lecturer at seminars and workshops regarding the probation in Croatia.
“I am expecting that Jana will build on the efforts already made to have a robust organization, oriented on ethics and integrity and valuing the diversity of us, professionals from the member organizations.” said Iuliana Carbunaru, CEP board member and Probation Inspector for the National Probation Directorate, Romanian Ministry of Justice. “I hope that Jana`s new role within the CEP will inspire more women to embrace a management career in our challenging but rewarding area of criminal justice and will continue to support the professionalization of our services!”
Fergus McNeil, CEP board member and Professor of Criminology and Social Work, University of Glasgow said “Jana’s track record as an imaginative, dynamic and effective leader of the development of probation in Croatia— and her proven commitment to probation’s worth and to its European values — make her the perfect fit for CEP as we seek to support probation in Europe to play its part in delivering justice and safety for all”.
Ms Špero brings years of progressive experience in probation. And she will continue to be the voice of probation in Europe by maintaining, promoting and expanding the CEP network, stimulating the exchange of knowledge on probation and be a partner in relevant EU projects.
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.