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.
The authors undertook this research to address a clear gap in European knowledge. While burnout in probation has been widely discussed, there has been little comparative evidence on how different systems organise prevention, support their staff, and monitor well-being. The study responds directly to this need and aligns with the growing attention across Europe to the mental health of criminal justice professionals.
Using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and an organisational survey completed by directors in twenty two jurisdictions, the report brings together individual experiences of stress with a detailed look at how organisations structure prevention and support. The findings show moderate levels of burnout across the sample, with only one third of staff classified as engaged. Crucially, the data demonstrates that staff morale is strongly associated with organisational design rather than individual factors alone.
The report identifies three clusters of organisational practice: advanced systems with well-established prevention and recovery structures, emerging systems with partial provision, and minimal systems where support remains informal. Countries with more formalised policies, routine training, confidential support, and structured reintegration were also those with higher staff engagement and fewer burnout cases.
This study offers an important message for all probation services. Staff well-being improves when it is embedded in governance, monitored regularly, and supported through clear structures rather than left to individual resilience. The report encourages jurisdictions to strengthen workload policies, enhance communication, expand access to mental health support, and build a routine infrastructure for listening to staff needs.
CEP invites members to read both the summary and the full report, which provide a comprehensive foundation for strengthening staff well-being across Europe.
The European survey of probation staff’s stress and morale
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The latest issue of the Journal of Offender Monitoring features an English version of Gerry McNally’s chapter, CEP, Probation and the Digital Future, first published in 2023 as part of the Portuguese book Execução das Penas e Medidas na Comunidade no Futuro Digital, edited by Nuno Caiado.
The European Commission has launched a new call for proposals to support transnational projects in the fields of e-Justice, victims’ rights, and procedural rights.
With a total budget of €9.4 million, the call aims to fund projects that contribute to the digitalisation and effectiveness of justice systems, strengthen the protection of victims, and promote access to justice and judicial cooperation across Europe.
The European Judicial Training Team of the European Commission is pleased to announce the launch of 40 e-capsules (each available in all EU languages) within civil law, criminal law and fundamental rights.
On 23 June, a delegation from Azerbaijan visited the CEP office in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The delegation included representatives of the Probation Service, Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan and representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Netherlands. The visit to the CEP office was part of a broader learning programme with Reclassering Nederland.
CEP’s latest newsletter is out now! It includes:
CEP is seeking 7 applications for an upcoming training programme, CEP Leadership Excellence Training, designed for a small group of Directors General or Deputy Directors General representing CEP member organisations. This training will take place on 19-21 October 2026, Zagreb, Croatia.
