Previous Article
News
Podcast Series Explores the Purposes and Future of Probation
The Rehabilitating Probation project is exploring the impact of years of structural reforms, including part-privatisation and its reversal, on probation in England and Wales.
What is Probation for?
For some people, the answer may be clear – probation’s function is to protect the public. While others strongly believe that probation is a service whose purpose is to promote rehabilitation. Of course, these two aims don’t have to be incompatible, but the different opinions and experiences of probation do say something about the complexity of the job and the way in which probation practice has changed over the years. In order to explore these broader questions – What is Probation For? and What Should Probation be For? – the team have been holding a series of workshops with different people who have experience of probation. These workshops have been co-designed by the peer researchers involved in the Rehabilitating Probation project, who were keen that we go back to look at these fundamentals and try to envisage what probation should be for.
The research team has also been working with the Prison Radio Association on a podcast series, based on this work. Paula Harriott and Phil Maguire, the hosts of the Secret Lives of Prison podcast, attended a workshop participants, and recorded the first episode of the series on the day. You can listen to it here: The Future of Probation – Part 1. The second episode of the series features Dr Matthew Millings who is the Principal Investigator of the Rehabilitating Probation project and Professor Nicola Carr, one of the co-investigators and CEP board member, reflecting on what has come out of the workshops and talking about some of the emergent research findings. You can listen to this episode here: The Future of Probation – Part 2. The final episode of the series is in preparation and will be released in autumn.
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
CEP
CEP annual report
07/04/2026
The Confederation of European Probation (CEP) has published its Annual Report 2025, showcasing a year marked by growth, cooperation, and continued commitment to strengthening probation across Europe.
Bringing together more than 100 member organisations across 42 countries and 59 jurisdictions, CEP continued to serve as a central platform for knowledge exchange, professional development, and collaboration within the European criminal justice field.
Uncategorized
ProtectEU: Commission presents new counterterrorism agenda
07/04/2026
On 26 February 2026, the European Commission presented ProtectEU, a renewed EU counterterrorism agenda aimed at strengthening the Union’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to evolving terrorist threats.
New
Probation in Europe
New Vodcast Episode: Jana Spero Kamenjarin on the Confederation of European Probation (CEP)
07/04/2026
The 19th episode of Division_Y features Jana Spero Kamenjarin, Secretary General of the Confederation of European Probation (CEP), based in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
New
Electronic monitoring
Electronic Monitoring in Europe: Insights from the 13th Electronic Monitoring conference Questionnaire
30/03/2026
The 13th Electronic Monitoring (EM) conference Questionnaire has now been released, offering a comprehensive overview of how EM is applied across Europe today.ion.
New
CEP members
New CEP member: Guernsey Probation Service
25/03/2026
In recent weeks, CEP has interviewed individual members and representatives of the new member organisations that joined CEP at the beginning of 2026. In these interviews, the new member organisations or individual members will share information on why they decided to become members, how they would like to contribute to the development of CEP and many more.
Enjoy reading!
Recap
Probation outside Europe
Recap: CEP and APPA webinar
25/03/2026
Confederation of European Probation (CEP) and American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) hosted the second joint webinar on 24 March 2026, this time on “Integrity of Performance: Ensuring Meaningful and Ethical Outcomes”.
The overarching theme of integrity of performance was explored through two distinct perspectives on this fundamental concept.
Subscribe to our bi-monthly email newsletter!
- Keep up to date with important probation developments and insights.