Recap: Conference on Public Perception of Probation

Getting Started in Antalya

The conference began on Monday evening with a welcome reception at the Turkish Prison & Probation Training Center, where participants had the chance to meet, reconnect, and ease into the programme. It was a relaxed start to what turned out to be two busy and engaging days.

Opening Day – 6 May

Tuesday started with opening speeches from:

• Mr. Enis Yavuz Yıldırım, Director General of Prisons and Detention Houses (Türkiye)

• Ms. Annie Devos, CEP President (Belgium)

• Mr. Niyazi Acar, Deputy Minister of Justice (Türkiye)

They welcomed participants and reflected on the importance of international cooperation in building stronger probation services.

The morning plenary sessions followed. Mr. Fatih Güngör (Türkiye) talked about how probation is viewed in Türkiye, including both legal and social aspects. Then, Ms. Ingunn Seim (Norway), Dr. Danijela Mrhar Prelič (Slovenia), and Mr. Daniel Danglades (France) shared how probation is organised and understood in their countries.

In the afternoon, two workshops took place at the same time:

• Workshop A, led by Dr. Prelič, focused on working with other professionals in the justice field. She was joined by Ms. Annie Devos (Belgium) and Dr. Hüseyin Şık (Türkiye).

• Workshop B, chaired by Mr. Danglades, looked at how probation services communicate with the general public. It featured examples from Dr. Andrea Matouskova (Czech Republic) and Mr. Joachim Tein (Germany).

The first day wrapped up with a lot of input and food for thought.

Final Day – 7 May

Wednesday’s programme opened with a plenary session on how the idea and practice of probation has changed over time. Speakers Mr. Gerry McNally (Ireland), Mr. Vugar Aghayev (Azerbaijan), and Assoc. Prof. Hakan A. Yavuz (Türkiye) gave examples from their national contexts and looked at what has influenced these changes.

After that, a roundtable focused on how to promote probation and raise public awareness. The discussion included perspectives from Ms. Annie Devos, Dr. Andrea Matouskova, Dr. Hüseyin Şık, Mr. Joachim Tein, and Ms. Ingunn Seim.

To close the event, Prof. Fergus McNeill (UK) gave a thoughtful talk on the role of communities in probation, reminding us of its origins and the importance of public engagement.

Thank You

A big thank you to everyone who joined us in Antalya. Your ideas, openness, and shared experiences helped make the event meaningful and productive.

Let’s keep the conversation going.

Presentations

Click here to go to the presentations

Photos

Click here to the photos made by The Turkish host