On October 30, 2023, colleagues from Japan visited the CEP office in Utrecht with the dual objective of getting to know CEP, its staff, and touring the office, as well as reinforcing their cooperation since UNAFEI (United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders) is an affiliate member of CEP.
The Japanese delegation consisted of Ms. HIDAKA Mashiro, an official from the Rehabilitation Bureau, Mr. TANAKA Naoki, a professor at UNAFEI, and Mr. WATANABE Hiroyuki, Deputy Director of the General Affairs Division within the Rehabilitation Bureau.
Japan had the honour of hosting the 3rd World Congress on Probation in Tokyo in September 2017. In September 2022, CEP and UNAFEI signed an Affiliation Agreement to further expand and strengthen their cooperation.
During the visit, the CEP Secretary General presented the work of CEP, and the Japanese colleagues shared insights into the current situation in Japan concerning their work with offenders in the community. Discussions covered various aspects, including the role of volunteers in the probation field in Japan. CEP introduced the Erasmus+ CoPPer Project, emphasizing its relevance in the context of European volunteers.
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 has released the first cross-European study examining stress, burnout, and morale among probation staff. The report was produced by Professor Charlie Brooker, Professor Karen Tocque, Professor Ioan Durnescu and Liliana Lupsica, whose combined expertise in public health, criminology, and organisational analysis provides an important contribution to our understanding of well-being in probation work.
On 12 and 13 November 2025, CEP Secretary General Jana Špero Kamenjarin participated in the Multilateral Meeting on Women in Prison: Advancing Gender-Sensitive Policies and Practices, at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The meeting brought together representatives from 40 member states, penitentiary administrations, and international experts, united by a shared commitment to improving rehabilitation, reducing re-offending, and promoting gender equality in places of deprivation of liberty.
This book, Forensic Social Work – Supporting Desistance, has been released by Routledge. It is a practice-oriented resource exploring how forensic social work can support desistance and foster meaningful change in the lives of justice-involved individuals.
The 16th episode of Division_Y features Stephan Leißner, a public probation and parole officer at the Coburg Regional Court in Bavaria, Germany.
On 6 November 2025, the CoPPer Final Project Conference took place at Het Nutshuis in The Hague, the Netherlands, marking a milestone in European cooperation and innovation in the field of probation. The event brought together 66 participants representing jurisdictions from Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom, Portugal, Netherlands, Romania, Estonia, as well as Türkiye and Japan. A clear sign of the growing international interest in the CoPPer project and its outcomes.
CEP SG Jana Spero Kamenjarin attended the 27th International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) Conference, held in Istanbul, Türkiye. The conference brought together professionals, researchers, and policy experts from around the world to share insights and best practices. There were approximately 700 participants and the conference program consisted of 151 presentations.
