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COST Action Offender Supervision in Europe 

The work of COST Action IS1106 on Offender Supervision in Europe began on 27th March 2012 at a ‘kick-off’ meeting in Brussels and it concludes with the final conference, back in Brussels, on the 11-12th March 2016. This report reflects on the achievements over the course of four years of complex, challenging, creative and highly constructive research collaboration.

 

The main objective of the Action is to exchange, increase and deepen knowledge about offender supervision in Europe, in order to understand its development in social context, how it is constructed and experienced by those involved and its impacts and consequences.

The central rationale for the work was that offender supervision in Europe has developed rapidly in scale, distribution and intensity in recent years but that the emergence of what we termed ‘mass supervision’ (i.e. in the community) had largely escaped the attention of legal scholars and social scientists more concerned with the ‘mass incarceration’ reflected in prison growth. Argument was that this represented an important analytical lacuna for law and social science. Moreover, the neglect of supervision meant that research had not delivered the knowledge urgently required to engage with political, policy and practice communities grappling with delivering justice efficiently and effectively in fiscally straitened times, and with the challenges of communicating the meaning, legitimacy and utility of supervision to an insecure public.

Our knowledge of Interagency Coorperation

When considering the rehabilitation of persons who have committed a crime resulting in imprisonment, a critical stage of the process is when they are released to the community. This is an important moment of transition when the person needs support in several areas of his/her life. Research indicates that this transition management is crucial in the rehabilitation process. Interagency cooperation is necessary to make this process successful.

Related News

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

Probation in Europe, Technology

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The European Commission has opened a Call for Evidence on the Digitalisation of Justice: 2025–2030 European Judicial Training Strategy.

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Criminal Justice

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18/08/2025

At a time when many parole systems are experiencing considerable strain, the aims of this collection are twofold: first, to encourage systematic and critical reflection on the rationalities, institutions and practices of parole. Second, to think big, and pose ambitious ‘what if’ questions about the possible futures of parole and prison release. Offering novel insights from Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America, this collection builds the case for, and then showcases, a ‘way of doing’ parole research that is global in outlook, interdisciplinary in approach and unapologetically normative in character.

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Probation in Europe

New Vodcast Episode: Prof. Bernd Maelicke on The Prison-Dilemma

12/08/2025

The 13th episode of Division_Y features an in-depth conversation with Prof. Bernd Maelicke, one of Germany’s most respected voices in prison and probation reform.

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Probation outside Europe

CEP Ambassador Steve Pitts Receives Prestigious Japanese Honour

05/08/2025

We are pleased to share that CEP Ambassador Steve Pitts has been awarded the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by the Government of Japan. The honour was officially presented on 25th July 2025 at a formal ceremony held at the Japanese Ambassador‘s residence in London, hosted by the Japanese Ambassador.

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CEP Events

Mark Your Calendars: Exciting Probation Events Ahead

30/07/2025

As the season continues, we’re looking ahead to a dynamic line-up of events across Europe. From specialised workshops to international training and conferences, there’s something valuable for everyone working in probation and beyond.

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Probation in Europe

New Vodcast Episode: Tobias Merckle on Free Forms of Juvenile Detention

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The 12th episode of Division_Y features an engaging discussion with Tobias Merckle, a social worker and social entrepreneur from Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

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