An article written by Marite Hannes, East-Harju Probation Supervision Department, Tallinn Prison, Estonia
The 7th week of remote work is about to begin. By now, a certain routine working from home has become a habit. Very clear guidelines were provided for the functioning of probation supervision quite early in the crisis. Of course, such a drastic change in everyday work order requires time to think things through, as in how work could be most effective with limited resources and options, while ensuring that the essential work of probation supervision would not come to a halt. In the first days, it was difficult to imagine how working from home would function and it is somewhat more difficult to keep the focus on work matters. The fact that work could not stop and that often immediate action was required helped to get the hang of things very quickly. During the emergency situation, registrations with probationers took place via telephone, which also meant that the first task of officers was to notify probationers of the changed living arrangement to ensure that no one would risk the health of themselves or others by coming to the Probation Supervision Department.
Thanks to the opportunities of the e-state, nearly everything is possible: documents can be digitally signed and forwarded via email and substantive work with people can be successfully carried out by telephone. Even court sessions can be held via video. Only home visits and inspection of additional obligations, for instance random checks to discover possible use of narcotics, have been suspended. However, there is still preparedness to check on persons in the event of clear indication or certain suspicion of intoxication.
Telephone conversations with probationers have gone smoothly and without problems. The seriousness of the situation is mostly understood and the conversations take place exactly as they would have gone in face-to-face meetings. A few persons have admitted that they feel more comfortable communicating with the officer directly and would very much welcome the opportunity to arrange an actual meeting.
After a quick settlement period, it can be said that the biggest benefits of working from home are saving time on driving to work and home, and overall concentration has improved thanks to the mere fact that there are less people in the building. However, focus on work is, for instance, distracted by pets that demand attention, as well as children studying at home in the case of families with children. The long isolation has also made people miss face-to-face communication, as well as their colleagues and having lunch together.
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From 18-20 November 2025, 15th Plenary Meeting of the Council for Penological Co-operation took part in Council of Europe, Strasbourg. CEP was represented by President Annie Devos, Vice-Presidents Danijela Mrhar Prelic (PC-CP member) and Daniel Danglades and Secretary General Jana Spero Kamenjarin.
The CEP Expert Group on Mental Health met on 19 November 2025 to continue its work on developing a European mental health training curriculum for probation officers. Since last year, the group has been working intensively and meticulously to produce a solid first version of the curriculum.
CEP has released the first cross-European study examining stress, burnout, and morale among probation staff. The report was produced by Professor Charlie Brooker, Professor Karen Tocque, Professor Ioan Durnescu and Liliana Lupsica, whose combined expertise in public health, criminology, and organisational analysis provides an important contribution to our understanding of well-being in probation work.
On 12 and 13 November 2025, CEP Secretary General Jana Špero Kamenjarin participated in the Multilateral Meeting on Women in Prison: Advancing Gender-Sensitive Policies and Practices, at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The meeting brought together representatives from 40 member states, penitentiary administrations, and international experts, united by a shared commitment to improving rehabilitation, reducing re-offending, and promoting gender equality in places of deprivation of liberty.
This book, Forensic Social Work – Supporting Desistance, has been released by Routledge. It is a practice-oriented resource exploring how forensic social work can support desistance and foster meaningful change in the lives of justice-involved individuals.
The 16th episode of Division_Y features Stephan Leißner, a public probation and parole officer at the Coburg Regional Court in Bavaria, Germany.
