Previous Article
News
Norwegian Reintegration Guarantee aims to provide ex-prisoners the right tools for resocialization
In 2005 the Norwegian government introduced a unified policy towards released prisoners called the Reintegration Guarantee. Senior Advisor Inger Marie Fridhov of the Ministry of Justice explains: “Although it is not a ‘right’ in the legal sense, the Reintegration Guarantee is a commitment of all involved Ministries to provide ex-inmates the possibilities to be a responsible citizen.” The new strategy was designed with two purposes in mind. First to reduce recidivism and second to create better conditions for the released person.
A new philosophy
In practice, the Reintegration Guarantee entails that anyone who leaves prison or probation should be able to stand on their own and helped to obtain housing, work, school, health care and things such as debt counseling. “The effort requires a new mindset from the government,” says Inger Marie Fridhov. “It takes close cooperation to reach all released persons. Plus it was always assumed that the correctional services “own” the prisoner. This is the way the correctional services thought, and this is also how other authorities have thought. The Guarantee makes this way of thinking impossible. Now all levels of government and in fact the whole society has to take responsibility for reintegration. This is a big and important step towards a situation where inmates, equally with other citizens, get what they have a right to, concerning social benefits, school, housing etc..”
Working towards a better release
The guidance of the prisoners starts before their release. “One of the guiding principles of the Guarantee,” explains Inger Marie Fridhov, “is that the release becomes predictable. The inmate knows the date and time of the release but also what is waiting for the inmate with regard to housing, work, finances, education and health. 25 especially educated “release coordinators are working in the prisons to help the guards and others involved in the release-process. They work to establish all necessary contacts with the local authorities, who are and will be, responsible for the ex-inmate from the first day after release.”
Allocate tasks to appropriate services
It has become clear that the execution of the Guarantee is not easy. Inger Marie Fridhov refers to a recent study of the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research: “Not unexpectedly, they found that potential obstacles to full implementation of the guarantee are located at the legal level, the structural and organisational level, the financial level and at the human level. The attitudes towards convicts are not always favorable either. I believe, however, that the approach of the Reintegration Guarantee in fundamentally a good one. We share and transfer the responsibility to them who really are responsible to solve the problems. And lastly -but not unimportantly- we activate and help the prisoners to be the main actor in their own release.
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.