Joint Investigation Teams have been adopted in several EU as well as non-EU documents as a new instrument to facilitate mutual legal assistance. This book provides professionals dealing with criminal cooperation with a theoretical and at the same time practical guide on how the instrument of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) can be used to maximum advantage. The first attempts to establish a JIT within the European Union were monitored and analysed by the authors. The results thereof serve as the basis for the more theoretical and abstract analysis in this book. Obstacles met are analysed and suggestions are made on how to avoid them in the future. The book elaborates on the different stages in establishing a JIT as well as the different stages of an operational JIT. It analyses the possible involvement of Europol and Eurojust and provides an insight into the practical aspects of a JIT. Last but not least, the authors formulate the necessary conditions and make recommendations for establishing successful JITs. The added value premise of using the instrument of a JIT is the common denominator throughout the book. This makes the book a valuable document for all practitioners involved in the establishment and management of JITs, such as police officers, policy makers, legislators, prosecutors and academics. Edited by Dr. Conny Rijken, Researcher and Lecturer at Tilburg University, The Netherlands, and Prof. Dr. Gert Vermeulen, Professor of Criminal Law and Director of the Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy (IRCP), Ghent University, Belgium.

In today's globalized society, an international exchange of ideas and views is indispensable within the field of social sciences, including criminology and criminal justice studies. The research group Governance of Security (GofS) fosters contemporary international discourses on issues of crime and crime control. In 2008, GofS started a research paper series, combining theoretical and empirical articles on issues reflecting the research activities of GofS. This research group is a collaboration between Ghent University and Ghent University College in Belgium. GofS concentrates its research around the study of administrative and judicial policy that have been developed with respect to new issues of crime and insecurity. The GofS series Governance of Security Research Papers (GofS) is published by Maklu Publishing (Belgium). Readings on Criminal Justice, Criminal Law and Policing Volume 2 of GofS's series Governance of Security Research Papers includes the following: Punishment across Borders: The Rationales behind International Execution of Sentences Interpreting the Concept of 'Discretionary Power' within the Execution of Sentences: A Comparison between the Belgian and French Situation Esperanto for EU Crime Statistics: Towards Common European Offense Definitions in an EU-level Offense Classification System Developing a Framework for the Legal Rights of Victims and Witnesses What Can European Institutions and the International Criminal Court Learn from Each Other? Purpose Limitation in EU-US Data Exchange in Criminal Matters: The Remains of the Day Some Criminal Law Reflections on the Sexual Transmission of HIV Reading about Crime in Post-Intervention Societies: A Critical Assessment Policing and Leadership: The Case of the Belgian Chiefs of the Local Police Reflections on the Possible Integration of Intelligence-Led Policing into Community Policing: The Belgian Case Reliability and Correlational Validity of Police Interview Competences: Assessing the Stability of the Police Interview Competency Inventory The Role of Europol in Joint Investigation Teams: A Foretaste of an Executive European Police Office? Checking Aspects of a "Nodal Orientation" for Policing the Port of Antwerp.