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Projects

Creativity and Effectiveness in the Use of Electronic Monitoring as an Alternative to Imprisonment in EU Member States

This research project is a partnership between professors from five Universities in Europe; Prof. Anthea Hucklesby (The University of Leeds), Prof. Gill McIvor (The University of Stirling), Prof. Kristel Beyens (Vrije Universiteit, Brussels), Prof. Frieder Dunkel (University of Greifswald) and Prof. Miranda Boone (Utrecht University).

It focuses on the potential of electronic monitoring (EM) to provide a credible and workable alternative to imprisonment, therefore assisting in the management and reduction of EU prison populations.

 

Click on the link to read the Creativity and Effectiveness in the use of electronic monitoring report.

The project

A team led by Professor Anthea Hucklesby at the University of Leeds, UK has been awarded funding by the European Commission, Directorate of General Justice (Just/2013/Action Grants (JUST/2013/JPEN/AG)) which will examine the use of electronic monitoring (EM) as an alternative to custody. The project entitled Creativity and Effectiveness in the Use of Electronic Monitoring as an Alternative to Imprisonment in EU Member States involves partners from five jurisdictions (Professor Gill McIvor (University of Stirling, Scotland), Professor Dr Kristel Beyens (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium); Prof Dr Miranda Boone (Utrecht University, the Netherlands) and Prof. Frieder Dünkel (University of Greifswald, Germany).

Growing prison populations are an urgent and major challenge for penal administrations across the EU (Council of Europe, 2013). The drivers of rising prison populations vary between jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions, pre-trial detainees comprise a high and increasing proportion of the prison population. In others, increasing sentenced populations have driven populations up. Most alternatives to prison only tackle one driver of population growth, whereas EM potentially provides a universal mechanism for reducing prison populations.

The Action focuses on the potential of electronic monitoring (EM) to provide a credible and workable alternative to imprisonment, therefore assisting in the management and reduction of EU prison populations. Currently EM is used in most EU member states but it is employed differently. It is utilised at different stages of the criminal justice process in different jurisdictions and its implementation varies, for example it is used as a standalone measure and/or alongside other community sanctions, the length of curfews and curfew hours vary as does the approach to ending the sentence. The varied use between jurisdictions provides an opportunity to undertake comparative research to examine the similarities and differences between jurisdictions, what these tell us about what works in terms of providing a credible and workable alternative to imprisonment and enhance our knowledge and understanding of best practice in relation to EM.

Despite the widespread use of EM, evidence about its operation and impact is limited. A core element of the Action is the first empirical study of the use of EM at three stages of the criminal justice process – pre-trial, sentence and post-release – across five jurisdictions which, coupled with a systematic and comprehensive analysis of legal and policy frameworks at the national and European levels, will provide a unique comparative study of EM. The findings will begin to fill a significant knowledge gap about the conditions under which EM can operate as an alternative to imprisonment as well as informing recommendations on best practice to enhance its effectiveness and ensure its legal, ethical and humane use across the EU.

The Action aims to compare the operation of EM for adults in five jurisdictions in order to examine its use at all stages of the criminal justice process and its effectiveness in terms of providing an effective and humane alternative to custody and reducing prison populations. The more specific objectives are to:

  • Describe and explain the legal and policy context in which EM operates in each jurisdiction;
  • Identify the ways in which EM is employed in each jurisdiction;
  • Identify and analyse European frameworks, rules and decisions relevant to EM;
  • Explore the operation of EM in each jurisdiction;
  • Explore a range of outcomes including compliance rates and offending rates for defendants/offenders subject to EM;
  • Compare practices and outcomes between jurisdictions;
  • Identify best practice in relation to the implementation of EM; and
  • Disseminate Action findings and best practice to a range of policy makers and practitioners.

The Action comprises of four substantive, sequenced and complementary workstreams. It began in May 2014 and runs for two years. In early 2016 conferences will be held in London and Brussels to disseminate the findings of the project alongside a series of regional workshops in specific jurisdictions. The Action is supported by an Advisory Board of experts from research user communities across the EU. A first important meeting took place in Leeds on Friday 16 May, where also CEP Secretary General Willem van der Brugge was present as member of the Advisory Board.

 

Partner organisations

Our knowledge of Electronic Monitoring

Electronic monitoring (EM) has matured into a commonplace penal tool used widely across Europe and beyond. Its applications appear to be limitless and its purposes diverse.

Related News

Check out the latest news and updates on this project’s focus area.

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.

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