““This happens This happens everywhere, yes?”everywhere, yes?”

A Journey throughA Journey throughCorrectional Systems in EuropeCorrectional Systems in Europe

Zoltán BogschützProbation Advisor, Justice Service of the Ministry of Public Administration and JusticeBudapest, Hungary

OtherA journey through the correctional systems of Europe is rich in variety.There is something for every system to learn.Increasing mobility makes it more important that staff in one jurisdiction have some understanding of how things work in others...

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This happens everywhere, yes?

This quotation is from one of our DOMICE Focus Groups

It shows how staff can assume that the way things happen in their country is the way they happen everywhere

Nothing could be further from the truth

See whether these images and observations are familiar to you...

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Some jurisdictions are small. This makes integration of the different stages of the system easier. Key people know one another well. There are smooth transitions on release from custody into society.

Reykjavik, Iceland

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Other countries are large and complex. This one has a devolved system of Government. There are 16 different correctional systems. This makes achieving consistency and integration very challenging.

Berlin, Germany

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In most of Europe, case management operates within an inquisitorial judicial system, in which judges are often involved throughout the process...

Madrid, Spain

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...but there are also some adversarial systems in which judges are not involved in the implementation of sentences which they pass.The different roles of judges in these different systems affects the work of case managers.

Dublin, Republic of Ireland

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Many systems are mature. They have evolved through more than 100 years of small changes and improvements.

Gothenburg, Sweden

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Others systems have gone through recent major reform, often learning from others. Here they have created a completely new probation service in less than a decade.Sometimes these reforms are related to entry into the EU...

Istanbul, Turkey

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...and sometimes they are the result of the birth of a new country or jurisdiction...and sometimes it is a bit of both

Zagreb, Croatia

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...and there are some others where modernisation of the correctional system has not yet reached the top of the political priority list. Maybe they have other pressing priorities?

Athens, Greece

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In most places case managers are state employees. They are usually qualified as social workers, psychologists or pedagogues. They then get induction and on-the-job training for the special skills and knowledge associated with dealing with offenders and criminal justice.

Bratislava, Slovakia

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In three places in our study is there a special qualification which students must pass before they can become case managers.

Valletta, Malta

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There are a few places where case management is supplied on contract by a company from the independent or private sector. The appetite for competition is spreading. This can be controversial.There are representatives of independent sector providers of case management at this conference.

Hallstatt,Austria

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In most places, a department or branch or Directorate within a Ministry of Justice is responsible for the case management of offenders. Sometimes the work is done direct; sometimes it is commissioned from a Government agency.

Riga, Latvia

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