By Nicola Carr

The Council of Europe recently issued Guidelines Regarding Recruitment, Selection, Education, Training and Professional Development of Prison and Probation Staff, in recognition of the need to provide a set of standards that will apply to all Council of Europe Member States. The guidelines were developed by the Council for Penological Cooperation (PC-CP) and approved by the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC) in April 2019. The guidelines outline a number of key principles relating to the recruitment, education and training, and professional development of prison and probation staff. In some countries prison and probation staff are employed by the same agency, and there are some areas of the guidelines that pertain to both. The guidelines also set out the educational entry standards that should apply for probation staff working directly with suspects and offenders (this echoes the terminology used in the European Rules on Community Sanctions and Measures), and some of the core areas that should be covered in subsequent training. …

Academic Insights 2020/02 . Manchester: HM Inspectorate of Probation, 2020. 12p.

By Kelly Lyn Mitchell , Erin Harbinson and  Lily Hanrath

  Executive Summary The study is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota, Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, and Hennepin County, funded by a grant from the University of Minnesota's Driving Tomorrow Grand Challenges research initiative. The project used a mixed methods approach examining data on healthcare use and healthcare claims by people on probation, interviews with medical providers, a survey of probation officers, and a survey and interviews of people on probation. The Robina Institute led the survey of probation officers, which was aimed at learning about probation officer attitudes and beliefs about the links between probation and health, and how they saw their role with regard to the health of people on probation. This report summarizes the findings of the survey and suggests potential policy interventions that could be implemented to improve the health and probation outcomes of people on probation.  

Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice. 2021. 27p.

By Charlie Brooker and Karen Tocque

There is a high prevalence of mental illness in probation including suicide. It is important for probation staff to recognise mental illness and to refer on to an appropriate agency once it is detected. Probation’s staff knowledge about mental illness was therefore examined across Europe in this study using a well validated measure – the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS). Response rates within services and countries varied widely from 0-74%. Scores on the MHLS also varied considerably from 113-138 with an average score of 128. This overall average score is similar to other groups of the population such as university students and the clergy. There was a strong association between knowledge and confidence in working with people with a mental illness. The policy implications of these findings are discussed. It is clear there is a continuing role for CEP in this arena especially in the light of the Council of Europe’s recent White Paper on mental health in probation and in prisons.   

Utrecht: Confederation of European Probation, 2023. 33p.

By Charlie Brooker and Karen Tocque

There is a high prevalence of mental illness in probation including suicide. It is important for probation staff to recognise mental illness and to refer on to an appropriate agency once it is detected. Probation’s staff knowledge about mental illness was therefore examined across Europe in this study using a well validated measure – the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS). Response rates within services and countries varied widely from 0-74%. Scores on the MHLS also varied considerably from 113-138 with an average score of 128. This overall average score is similar to other groups of the population such as university students and the clergy. There was a strong association between knowledge and confidence in working with people with a mental illness. The policy implications of these findings are discussed. It is clear there is a continuing role for CEP in this arena especially in the light of the Council of Europe’s recent White Paper on mental health in probation and in prisons.   

Utrecht: Confederation of European Probation, 2023. 33p.