Recap: CEP conference on Probation and restorative justice as alternatives to detention within the European Framework in Slovakia

On the first day, we received a warm welcome from the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic at the Historical Building of the National Council of the Slovak Republic. The red- line through the Conference on Alternatives to Detention was mainly focused on the importance of long-term effects, and how to improve offender’s rehabilitation with respect to the strategic objectives of preventing crime, minimizing the risk of recidivism, providing solutions to crime-related conflicts, and ensuring victims are taken care of accordingly.

Even though probation has uneven development across Europe, it remains crucial to keep the conversation going between different levels of the Criminal Justice System to enhance communication between probation staff and service clients. Mainly, due to the constant changes within the criminal policies, technology, and treatment programs, it remains of additional value to share knowledge and exchange information among professionals in the field, since there are many challenges that might lay ahead of us. However, if we work together, the voice for probation will become stronger and probation in conjunction with mediation will turn lives around for the better of themselves and their respective communities.

Conference booklet

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Presentations

Development and limits of the Probation and Mediation Service within the framework of the Slovak Republic, Mr. Vladimír Cehlár, Ministry of Justice, Slovakia

Alternatives in Belgian practice: usefulness, effectiveness, limits, Ms. Annie Devos, House of Justice, Belgium

Workshop sessions

Effective communication as a basic professional skill, Mr. Jānis Zārdiņš, State Probation Service, Latvia
Probation services as evolving organizations, Mr. Goran Brkic, Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, Croatia

Probation and alternatives in Europe – overview, Ms. Iuliana Cărbunaru, Ministry of Justice, Romania

Alter Your Life Path: offenders´ rehabilitation from Czech perspective, Ms. Andrea Matoušková, Probation and Mediation Service, Czech Republic

Drug Court as a Substitute to Detention, Ms. Ingunn Seim, Norwegian Correctional Service, Norway

Pictures

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Report

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After movie