In the 1980s there was a lot of discussion about whether monitoring special conditions should be a probation task, and whether this can be combined with offering help and assistance. The authors show that this discussion has been settled by introducing a specific knowledge base for probation work. They outline a number of important developments in recent decades: the focus on risk and the enforced framework, and the great influence of new technology. Nevertheless, an important basis for probation remains unchanged: the quality of the contact between probation officer and client.

The contribution of sport to reintegrating offenders receives limited attention, both in science and in the practice of probation and the prison system. From the perspective of desistance, this literature study concluded that sport can contribute to the development of individual capital, social capital and an alternative identity. However, the effect of sport is not necessarily positive. There are risks of negative influence or the reinforcement of problem behaviour. In counselling offenders, sport should be combined with other interventions to reduce recidivism. A personalized approach is required, based on the risk-need-responsivity model.

Structured assessment of the risk of repeated offending has become common practice in the judicial system. However, much less attention has been paid to the way of communicating about the results of these risk assessments to the court or forensic settings. Research shows that the way of communicating about risks of relapse may affect decision-making by judges. In this article, these research results will be summarized and the different approaches to risk communication are discussed. Finally, recommendations are provided for clear communication about risk assessment results.

The last years victim awareness has received special attention in the Dutch probation service. Three goals are central: respecting the rights and interests of the victim, mapping and increasing victim awareness of the probation client, and working towards the possibilities for recovery. Based on discussions with probation officers, this contribution sketches a picture of how this takes shape in practice. Experience shows that good results are achieved, but that more training and attention to the subject is needed to give it a full place in the probation work.

Working in the forensic social field is interesting and fulfilling and many professionals deliberately choose to do this work. However, it can also be a very demanding job. Experiencing aggressive incidents by forensic clients, continuous tensions in contact with clients and the confrontation with narratives about shocking events are specific characteristics of working in the forensic field that appeal to the resilience of professionals. This article discusses which characteristics of organisations, teams and individual professionals impact on resilience and how it can be enhanced.

Since 2016 advices the probation service delivers to the public prosecution office or prison service are no longer financed by counting the number of advices produced, but by a lump sum budget. That should give probation officers the much needed room to do what is necessary in an individual case, instead of following strict protocols. This article describes the changes in the work of probation officers and their co-operation with public prosecutors, as a result of this change. Findings are based on ongoing research, and describe the practice at the end of 2016.

In order to support desistance from crime and rehabilitation into society, the probation service has to adapt its service to the individual problems and strengths of offenders. As a result, offenders who have committed similar crimes but differ in the problems related to their offending behavior are approached differently. However, equal treatment of offenders by the probation service is important if their problems are comparable. In this article the results are described of a study about the level of agreement between probation officers about intervention plans. In addition, it was studied whether the use of an instrument for structured decision making improves agreement about these plans.

The Dutch probation service has some indications that a substantial part of the probationers have intellectual disabilities. However, there is a lack of reliable information on the exact numbers. Three issues concerning probationers with intellectual disabilities are discussed, that ask further research and development in the field of probation. The first issue is the necessity to improve screening and assessment. Reliable and valid assessment of an intellectual disability is important to match interventions and supervision to the possibilities and skills of probationers. A second issue is the availability of interventions and policy that are suitable for probationers with intellectual disabilities. Some examples are given on offender supervision. Besides that, probation officers must have enough knowledge and skills to supervise this group in an effective way. A third issue is the co-operation of the probation service with mental healthcare.

In toenemende mate wordt bij justitiële organisaties gewerkt met instrumenten die beslissingsprocessen ondersteunen. Een belangrijke reden daarvoor is dat onderzoek overtuigend heeft aangetoond dat gestructureerde beslissingen beter zijn dan ongestructureerde.De reclassering gebruikt vanaf eind 2004 het instrument RISc om op een gestructureerde wijze tot een inschatting te komen van de kans op recidive, de criminogene factoren die daaraan ten grondslag liggen, en de responsiviteit van delinquenten. Op basis daarvan wordt bepaald welke interventies nodig zijn om de kans op recidive te verlagen, en de kortetermijnrisico’s te beperken. De indicatiestelling is nog weinig gestructureerd. Verdere structurering op basis van actuele kennis over effectieve interventies kan leiden tot verbetering van de indicatiestelling en daardoor van de kwaliteit en effectiviteit van het reclasseringswerk.