




From December 11–19, 2024, CEP Board Member Danijela Mrhar Prelić participated as an expert speaker at the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFEI) ASEAN-Japan Criminal Justice Seminar: Promoting the Rule of Law and Building an Inclusive Society. The seminar, which was dedicated to ASEAN countries, aimed to strengthen mutual legal assistance and offender rehabilitation efforts.
In her role as an expert speaker, Ms. Danijela Mrhar Prelić not only delivered a lecture but also provided valuable advice to participants on their developments and strategies. She presented the European perspective on the CEP Probation System and shared insights into the development of the Slovenian Probation Service. Her dual role as a national leader and international expert offered participants a comprehensive understanding of European probation systems from multiple angles.
The focus of her lecture was the development of non-custodial measures, particularly strategies to reduce imprisonment rates and enhance offender rehabilitation. She highlighted community-based supervision, emphasizing rehabilitation, collaboration with public sectors, and the critical role of CEP in fostering cooperation between probation services. Additionally, she provided a detailed overview of current benchmarks and trends in probation development across Europe.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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