The National Consultation on the Implementation of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958 was organised on 1 December 2025 at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, by the Centre for Criminology and Justice, in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission.
The Consultation was a direct outcome of the study titled “Implementation of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958: A Mapping Study”, undertaken by TISS at the instance of the Indian Society of Criminology and funded by the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences. The study examined the status of probation services across states and highlighted critical gaps, variations in administrative structures, and the need for strengthening community-based corrections.
Bringing together probation officers, academicians, researchers, and practitioners from across India, the Consultation served as a national platform to deliberate on key challenges, share best practices, and discuss strategies to enhance the implementation of probation services. The deliberations emphasised the need for institutional strengthening, capacity building, and greater recognition of probation within the criminal justice system. The recommendations emerging from the Consultation have been compiled and submitted to the National Human Rights Commission to inform future policy and reform initiatives aimed at strengthening probation services in India.