Jo holds university degrees in Social Work (Lutheran University of Applied Sciences Hamburg) and Theology (Christian Albrechts University Kiel). He has been working for the Ministry of Justice of Land Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, since 2014; he is „Head of the Executive Department for Victim Protection“ as well as „Head of the Division for Probation Services“.
From 2004-2014 Jo was Executive Director of the Schleswig-Holstein umbrella organization for NGOs in the field of probation and victim support as well as Director of the Schleswig-Holstein foundation for offender support services. Before that he worked as social worker, lecturer and as a social entrepreneur. He co-founded several for profit and not for profit organizations in the field of support for poor, homeless, and delinquent people. In 2010 he was awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for the development of innovative approaches in social work for marginalized groups.
Jo was editor of the „Zeitschrift für Soziale Strafrechtspflege“ (2004-2014), he published several articles in books and journals in German (as well as in English and Russian) language. He managed and participated in several national and international projects in the European Union, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation and in Africa; topics: prison & probation, restorative justice, victim support, services for the homeless. Jo was member of the presidium of „DBH e.V.“, the German umbrella organization for social work, criminal law and criminal policy from 2018-2022.
During the last 4 years Jo was responsible for the draft of the „Schleswig-Holstein Act on Ambulant Resettlement and Victim Protection“ which was adopted by the SH Parliament in October 2021 and entered into force in July 2022.
Jo became a member of the CEP Board in October 2022.