"Gettingyour lifebackontrackaftercommittingacrime ischallenging. During probation supervision, probation officers build andmaintain intensive and often long-term partnerships with probationers to prevent relapse into delinquent behavior. This thesis reveals an important success factor of probation supervision. Large groups of probationers and probation officers were followed for four years. A good and mutual cooperation between probationer and probation officer, the working alliance, is crucial. There is a strong association between the working alliance factor trust and relapse into criminal behavior. This implicates that during supervision themost important question for both probationer and probation officer is: ‘Can we trust each other?’"
The task of risk assessment is a central feature of probation work and a core activity of probation officers. Risk assessment forms the basis for subsequent interventions and management of offenders so that the likelihood of reoffending is reduced. A primary difficulty for probation workers is the ability to predict the risk of probation violations which could facilitate prevention. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the value of the 61-item Dutch diagnostic and risk assessment tool Recidivism Assessment Scales (RISc) with respect to predicting probation supervision violations of male probationers (N = 14,363). Because all RISc assessments included in the study were completed before the start of the supervision period, they could not have been influenced by behavior of the offenders or other circumstances during this period. It was found that the predictive accuracy of the RISc, with regard to supervision violation, was supported. All RISc subscales and the total score significantly predicted probation supervision violation. The AUC demonstrating the strength of the relationship of the RISc total score (AUC = .70) is satisfactory. Logistic regression analyses resulted in a fitting model, demonstrating that a selection of only 17 items from the total of 61 RISc items was sufficient to predict probation violation while preserving predictive accuracy (AUC = .73). For one of the possible cut-off sum scores used to select groups at high risk for probation violation, it was shown that is possible to double the percentage of correctly identified future violators when compared to the base rate of probation violation.
The body of evidence that the working alliance is associated with positive outcomes for mandated clients is growing. The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of several characteristics of probation officers (POs) and offenders on the course of the working alliance during probation supervision. This study examined the patterns on the four alliance subscales: Trust, Bond, Goals-Restrictions, and Reactance of the Working Alliance With Mandated Clients Inventory (WAMCI) in 201 offenders and their 137 POs. Three patterns on each alliance subscale were found: deteriorating, improving, and stable. Multinomial logistic analysis revealed that change of POs and the preference of the PO to maintain rules were associated with a deteriorating Trust pattern. From the perspective of the offenders, being motivated to take part in supervision was associated with a stable pattern on every alliance subscale, but having problems with substance use increased the likelihood of a deteriorating pattern on every alliance subscale.
In 2017, renowned Prof Kate Raworth from Oxford University and Amsterdam University introduced Doughnut Economics, an economic model to enable humans to thrive within the planetary boundaries and resources. Several private and public actors, including the city of Amsterdam, adopted the model in their circular economy development's strategies. Doughnut-Architecture aims to develop further the AREA (Atelier for Resilient Environmental Architecture) Framework, a tool designed by graduating students Charlotte Uiterwaal, Isabella van der Griend, Ryan McGaffney, Karolina Bäckman, at the faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology (TU-Delft), under the supervision of Henri van Bennekom. AREA-Framework support architects to intervene in the built environment taking as a reference the Doughnut Economics model. The AREA-Framework is at an initial stage, and its categories and subcategories are only qualitative. TU-Delft, the architectural practices Space&Matter and SuperuseStudios, in collaboration with the interdepartmental research group Circular Built Environment Hub (CBEH) and architectural practices from the network of 400 construction companies belonging to the Ex'tax project, the advice from Kate Raworth and the Amsterdam-Donut-Coalitie will further develop the AREA-Framework primarily quantitatively and also qualitatively. TU-Delft, Space&Matter, SuperuseStudios, other architectural practices from the Ex'tax-network will test the framework on different phases of real projects, interdepartmental research and education. The ultimate goal is to develop the framework further, to increase the number of architectural practices successfully implementing the Doughnut Economics in the built environment at a national level. The framework will contribute to positioning the architectural practices concerning Doughnut Economics and the Circular Economy. The project results are firstly an online open-access publication about the further developed Framework to be applied by architects; secondly, the preparation and submission of a follow-up research proposal about the extended development and implementation of the Framework applicable to the built environment by all the Ex'tax construction sector companies.
In dit onderzoek brachten we actuele kennis in kaart over effectief reclasseringstoezicht.Doel Doel van het project was om een systematisch overzicht te maken van werkzame elementen voor reclasseringstoezicht. Dit zijn elementen die aantoonbaar bijdragen aan het verminderen van recidive, voorkomen van uitval, versterken van motivatie voor verandering en verbeteren van het functioneren van delinquenten op verschillende leefgebieden. Resultaten Een onderzoeksrapportage met een overzicht van werkzame elementen voor reclasseringstoezicht. Een Engelse versie van de onderzoeksrapportage: Effective practices in probation supervision: a systematic literature review. Een publieksversie van het onderzoeksrapport waarin de belangrijkste bevindingen zijn samengevat. Een artikel voor een wetenschappelijk tijdschrift (in ontwikkeling). Looptijd 01 oktober 2019 - 31 augustus 2020 Aanpak Er is in de afgelopen jaren veel onderzoek gedaan naar reclasseringstoezicht, in Nederland maar vooral ook in het buitenland. Onderzoekers voerden een systematisch literatuuronderzoek uit van de nationale en internationale onderzoeksliteratuur over reclasseringstoezicht vanaf het jaar 2000 en beoordeelden hoe onderbouwd de conclusies zijn. Relevantie voor werkveld en onderwijs Het overzicht van bewezen werkzame elementen voor toezicht op delinquenten is bijzonder nuttig, voor het werkveld en voor hbo-opleidingen die toekomstige forensisch sociale professionals opleiden. Het kan richting geven aan deskundigheidsbevordering, aan beleidsontwikkeling van de reclassering, en ondersteunt keuzes die reclasseringswerkers dagelijks moeten maken in hun begeleidingscontacten met reclasseringscliënten.
In this project, immersive media (XR, VR, AR) are created and tested as a remediation strategy to help improve the experience of existing TV content and reach and engage both new and existing target groups more effectively. In this project, students and alumni from AGM and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) work together under the supervision of the R&D department from the professorship Digital Media Concepts and QUT to develop innovative immersive media products based on existing TV productions from Banijay. Banijay is the largest independent production and distribution company in the world. Banijay will provide the challenges, content and feedback on the students’ progress and skills during the (VIS) project, and will offer the opportunity to work on existing international productions with real expectations and demands, and the opportunity to actually market the concepts the students develop. Several new concepts are now in production stage to be released and tested.