Projects
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 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 Cooperation

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

Violent Extremism
2025 EU Guidance document responding to the needs of victims of terorrism
23/06/2025
To mark the EU Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism on 11 March, the EU Centre of Expertise for Victims of Terrorism has published a new Guidance Document on the Needs of Victims. This document is a significant step forward in reinforcing a victim-centred approach within counter-terrorism efforts across the European Union.

Alternatives to pre-trial detention
CEP Vice-President speaks at ERA event on European Prison Rules
21/05/2025
The event was organised by the Academy of European Law (ERA) in cooperation with the Council of Europe (CoE), the Confederation of European Probation (CEP), and EuroPris. It forms part of the EU co-funded project “European Prison Rules: Dissemination and Implementation,” which aims to promote consistent application of the Council of Europe’s standards in detention across EU Member States. The project focuses on increasing awareness and understanding of the European Prison Rules among justice professionals and supporting national training efforts on detention conditions and fundamental rights.

CEP Events, Communication and Awareness-Raising
Recap: Conference on Public Perception of Probation
06/05/2025
From 6 to 7 May, the CEP Conference on the Public Perception of Probation in Europe took place in Antalya, Türkiye, bringing together over 100 participants from more than 20 countries. The event offered space for open discussion, exchange of experiences, and practical ideas on how probation is seen and supported across Europe.

Probation in Europe
New Interview Online with Felix Gerike, a survivor of a knife attack
01/05/2025
What do victims of violent crime need to recover—and what can be done to prevent such attacks?
In the latest episode of Division_Y, Jo Tein, CEP board member, speaks with Felix Gerike, a survivor of the 2023 Brokstedt knife attack in Germany. Felix played a crucial role in disarming the attacker, helping to prevent further harm. He shares his personal experience, reflections on victim support, and his views on justice and policy responses to violent crime.
Probation in Europe
New Executive Summaries for the report on Building Probation Capacity in Spanish and Italian
01/05/2025

CEP Board, Probation in Europe
New Interview Online: Maren Michels – The Role of NGOs in Probation
22/04/2025
In the newest Division_Y interview, Maren Michels, director of the Hamburg Welfare Association, shares her experiences and reflects on the vital role that NGOs play in supporting people during and after incarceration.
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