Concept of the Third World Congress on Probation

“Development of Probation and the Role of the Community”

Probation and community corrections have developed and widened their roles in various countries around the world for diverse purposes. Two of the fundamental goals of probation and community corrections are to prevent recidivism and to promote rehabilitation of offenders and juvenile delinquents in the community. Probation and community corrections have also been utilized widely for a variety of other reasons, including the humanitarian aspect of avoiding the negative effects of imprisonment, being used as strategies to alleviate prison overcrowding and thus reduce government spending.

In seeking to prevent recidivism and promote offender rehabilitation, policy makers, practitioners and researchers have all contributed a great deal to the development of theories and practices focusing on the individual needs and characteristics of offenders and juvenile delinquents, such as sex, age and physical, intellectual and mental disability, with emphasis on social inclusion policy.

However, while such approaches to crime prevention and offender rehabilitation should remain one of the top priorities of every government, promoting peaceful, inclusive and sustainable societies requires us also to explore how more effective probation and community corrections systems can be developed. Thus, it is very useful to share knowledge and to discuss deeply these systems of probation and community corrections, taking the diverse circumstances in each country into account.

Equally, research and practice development has begun to suggest that effective probation systems depend on the active involvement of the community in the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders, which is one of the remarkable features of probation and community corrections in the Asian region. Thus, the Third World Congress will provide each participant with the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the importance of the active involvement of the community in preventing recidivism and promoting desistance and reintegration.

The Third World Congress on Probation in Japan will be the first held in the Asian region. Being grounded on the achievements of the First World Congress in London and the Second World Congress in Los Angeles, we hope to strengthen international cooperation and to build a wider network for further development of probation and community corrections. The World Congress is a unique forum for sharing knowledge and experience of policy makers, practitioners and academics in both the public and private sectors from all around the world. The Congress also offers participants opportunities to explore the overarching mission, vision and values of probation and community corrections throughout diverse systems, cultures and societies.