Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra – member of the European Organization for Probation – CEP American professor of criminology at the University of California, Joan Petersilia (1998, p. 30), provides a widely accepted definition of probation in the US as a court-ordered alternative order whereby a convicted offender is placed under the control, supervision and care of a probation officer instead of incarceration, as long as the client meets specified standards of contact. According to the director of PaMS CR Štern (2005, p. 5), the task of probation is to "check the obligations imposed by the court and at the same time motivate and lead the client to a so-called normal life". Probation is one of the tools of crime control, and its effective application reduces the prison population, the risk of recidivism of convicted persons and contributes to the protection of society. In his expert article entitled Contemporary Probation in Europe, Rob Canton answers the question "why is it even important to have a probation service?" by the following central three arguments:
- it is believed that alternative sentences administered by the probation service are the best answer to the increase in the prison population,
- trust that probation can protect the public,
- it is generally stated that probation can resocialize offenders (Canton, 2011).
In 2011, the University of Constantine the Philosopher (UKF) became a member of the European Probation Organization (CEP). UKF's membership in a renowned European organization was preceded by the participation of members of the Department of Social Work and Social Sciences of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health at UKF in several international events organized by CEP (Budapest - 2006, Glasgow - 2008). The CEP was founded in 1981 on the initiative of the probation services of ten European states. The reason was the fact that at the end of the 1970s, Western European countries witnessed an increasing number of non-Europeans in their prison population, which was a new phenomenon at that time (Ceron, Tigges, 2011). The CEP focuses on the exchange of information from policy, practice and research in the field of probation. It organizes 6 conferences a year, runs a website (which also includes a register of experts in the field), publishes a newsletter twice a month, regularly updates and publishes information about probation systems in a renowned scientific monograph of a collective of authors ("Probation in Europe") and publishes the European Probation Journal (Eurovista) three times a year. An important attribute of CEP is international networking. At the beginning of 2011, the CEP had almost 80 members (probation services, ministries of justice, NGOs, universities, individual members) representing 31 European states or 35 European jurisdictions (Ceron, Tigges, 2011).
The international networking of organizations working in the field of probation in the framework of science, education, research and practice is a determinant of the application of "lege artis". In the university study of the field of applied social work at the Department of Social Work and Social Sciences of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health of the University of Konstantin Filozof in Nitra, the subject is social work in criminal justice (1), which focuses on new scientific and practical knowledge in the field of probation, implemented in the master's degree.
The current state of probation in Slovakia can be characterized as critical. Arguments? The Department of Probation and Mediation at the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic was abolished in 2011 and replaced by a new department for crime prevention and mediation. There is one department employee working in this department, who is currently preparing an analysis of the current state of probation and mediation in criminal matters, as well as a development concept. Other arguments are the absence of support for criminological research, the low number of probation and mediation officers, and the lack of funds aimed at a long-term strategy for the development of probation in the context of the Slovak Republic.
Author: PhDr. Martin Lulei, PhD. Department of Social Work and Social Sciences UKF Literature:
CANTON, Rob. 2011. Contemporary Probation in Europe – Some Reflections. In: EuroVista – Probation and Community Justice, vol. 1, no. 1, p. 2-9. (cited 2011-06-05). Available online:http://www.eurovista.org/default.asp?page_id=100&shopgroeporderid=1&shopgroepid=25 CERON, M. – TIGGES, L. 2011. CEP, The European organization for probation. In: Eurovista vol. 1 no. 3 p.. 157-158. FRETZ, Ralph. 2005. "STEP DOWN" Programs: The Missing Link in Successful Inmate Reentry. In: Corrections Today Lanham, Vol. 67, 2005, no. 2, p. 102 – 107. ISSN 01902563. LULEI, Martin. 2011. Social work in criminal justice and probation = Criminal justice social work and probation. UKF: 2001,. 136 p. ISBN 978-80-8094-945-7. PARSLEY, Joan. 1998. Probation in the United States. In: Crime and Justice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. p. 30-41. ŠTERN, Pavel. 2005. The birth of probation and mediation services is related to the introduction of alternative procedures. In: Social work, 2005, no. 4, p. 3 – 11. ISSN 1213-6204.
(1) In the narrower sense of the word, social work in criminal justice as a practical activity focuses on: - reducing the rate of recidivism and crime control, - support for the social inclusion of victims, perpetrators and their families, - restoration of the social environment disturbed by the crime (individual, group, community, society) (Lulei, 2011, p. 20).