IN BELGIUM A DISTINCTION IS MADE BETWEEN 'SUSPENSION' (SIMPLE OR COMBINED WITH PROBATION SUPERVISION), APPLICABLE ONLY TO OFFENDERS WHOSE PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS AMOUNTED TO NO MORE THAN 1 MONTH'S IMPRISONMENT, AND 'SURSIS' (SIMPLE OR COMBINED WITH PROBATION SUPERVISION), THAT MAY BE GRANTED TO OFFENDERS WHOSE PAST CONVICTIONS TOTALED NO MORE THAN 6 MONTHS. THE PERIOD OF PROBATION IN BELGIUM VARIES FROM 1 TO 5 YEARS AND IS FIXED INDIVIDUALLY FOR EACH OFFENDER. THE TERM 'PROBATION HELPER' IS PREFERRED TO THE MORE AUTHORITARIAN TERM 'PROBATION OFFICER.' IN 1965, THE PERCENTAGE OF OFFENDERS PLACED ON PROBATION, RELATIVE TO THE NUMBER FOUND GUILTY, VARIED FROM 0 TO 9.81 PERCENT. THE EXTENT TO WHICH COURTS MADE USE OF PROBATION INVESTIGATION REPORTS ALSO VARIED. TYPES OF OFFENSES IN THE FIRST 400 CASES SUBMITTED, IN 1967, TO THE PROBATION COMMITTEE IN BRUSSELS WERE LARGELY DETERMINED BY THE FACT THAT THE LAW LIMITS THE SELECTION OF PROBATIONERS. OFFENSES AGAINST PROPERTY USUALLY CONCERNED THEFT, WHILE SEXUAL OFFENDERS WERE MAINLY HOMOSEXUALS AND EXHIBITIONISTS. THE COURTS WERE MORE READY TO PLACE YOUNG OFFENDERS ON PROBATION THAN OFFENDERS IN THE OLDER AGE GROUPS. AS OF JANUARY 1968, 47 PROBATION CASES IN BRUSSELS HAD BEEN CLOSED SATISFACTORILY (8.3 PERCENT). TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. DETAILS RELATING TO DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES ARE APPENDED. (DEP)