Chatter is the main problem of instability in machining processes, caused by the modulations left on the surface during the successive cuts, called regeneration process, and is characterized by violent vibrations, noise and poor surface quality on machined surfaces. Thus, the scientific community has been concerned with developing actions for both the phenomenom prediction, and developing strategies to reduce them. This work evaluates numerically and experimentally the use of piezoelectric layers embedded to the tool-holder, and applying active and passive strategies trying to reduce the chatter in turning processes. For the passive case, the conductive electrode pairs of the piezoelectric layers are connected to a shunt circuit which modifies the system dynamics. The active solution proposes to use one of the piezoelectric layers as sensor an the other one as actuator, in order to apply feedback control laws. A numerical evaluation considers an electromechanical distributed parameter model based on Euler-Bernoulli cantilever beam theory, and the electrical and mechanical constitutive equations of the piezoelectric material. A comparison of the system frequency response functions (FRFs), numerically obtained, shows an increase of system damping when a resistive-inductive shunt circuit is used as a passive solution. The numerical evaluation of the active solution shows that the velocity feedback control increases the system damping. The turning process stability improvement using both strategies, is shown in a stability lobe diagram. Frequency response functions of the tool-holder system were obtained experimentally using a data acquisition system, in order to compare the response amplitudes. Turning tests were performed in order to compare surface qualities obtained of machined parts. Measurement of FRFs using series resistive-inductive shunt circuits shows a system response attenuation, later this strategy was evaluated in turning tests, showing an improvement in surface finish.