Baku: The heads of the Probation Service of the Kingdom of the Netherlands visited the Ministry of Justice as part of their visit to Azerbaijan, Ministry’s Press Service told APA.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the purpose of the visit by Jochum Wildeman, the head of the international bureau of the service, and Raymond Svennenhuis, the advisor on probation policy, is to get acquainted with the reforms implemented in the field of probation in Azerbaijan in recent years, as well as to support the development of probation activities in the country.
The guests met with Deputy Minister of Justice Mubariz Ahmadov. During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on the development of cooperation in the field of justice, including probation. The guests were informed about the reforms implemented in the field of probation in Azerbaijan, the new structure of the service, increasing control over the execution of sentences, and the consistent measures taken towards the social adaptation and rehabilitation of convicts.
Later, meetings were held with Dutch experts at the Probation Service and the Academy of Justice. Presentations were made to employees of the Baku City Probation Department, the Sumgayit City Probation Department, and probation volunteers, as well as representatives of higher education institutions with which the service cooperates. The management and trainers of the Academy were briefed about the probation experience of the Netherlands, continuous trainings in this field, and social-psychological services provided to persons under probation supervision. Mutual exchange of views was held, and questions of interest to the participants were clarified.
The meetings emphasized the importance of future international cooperation opportunities in the field of probation and the expansion of mutual exchange of experience in this field with several European countries. Detailed discussions were held on the admission of the Ministry’s Probation Service to the European Probation Confederation (CEP) last year, the achievements, innovations, and changes achieved in the field of probation in Azerbaijan, adaptation to global trends, and institutional and legislative measures.
It should be noted that the Probation Service of the Netherlands, which has a 200-year history, is one of the most prestigious probation services in the world. It is closely involved in the formation and development of probation institutions in Europe and around the world.