AN OVERVIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC-PROFESSIONAL MEETING AT THE APPELLATE COURT IN NIŠ WITHIN THE PROJECT "STRENGTHENING THE PROBATION AND THE SYSTEM OF ALTERNATIVE SANCTIONS IN MONTENEGRO AND SERBIA" NIŠ, 4TH DECEMBER 2018

In the broadest sense, alternative sanctions are criminal law measures that substitute a prison sentence. They are practically parapenal sanctions considering that they lack the actual effectiveness inherent in classical punishment, which is expressed as a complete restriction of some rights or material values. The paper provides an overview of an international scientific-professional meeting of experts held at the Appellate Court in Niš, within the project "Strengthening the Probation and the Alternative Sanctions System in Montenegro and Serbia". Participants of the meeting were members of the Dutch delegation, as well as Serbian judges, public prosecutors, and probation officers. During the presentation of the project and the exchange of opinions and experiences on the application of alternative sanctions in both Netherlands and Serbia, numerous essential questions have been raised regarding the purpose of punishment, the achieved results, and the problems arising in everyday practice in the application of alternative sanctions.