Suchergebnisse

Criminal justice institutions are held to account in a number of ways yet there is limited knowledge as to how these systems of regulation function. One primary method for regulating systems of punishment is through the use of independent inspectorates, yet very little empirical research has explored how inspectorates engage with the organisations they inspect nor how inspection is received by inspected organisations. Procedural justice theory has been used to understand compliance with laws. It can also shed light on compliance with systems of accountability, although there is a dearth of research in this area. Thus, our understanding of how regulation works in situ is limited. This article uses procedural justice theory to analyse data that were collected in England and Wales to explore how His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation garners legitimacy from those it inspects. The article suggests that the Inspectorate is seen to be trustworthy and impartial, treats people with respect and provides them with a voice although there is variance between groups. The article contributes to (1) our understanding of how regulation works in the field of probation and (2) procedural justice theory by exposing the mechanisms that underpin compliance with regulatory regimes in institutional settings.

This article analyses the impact of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation on practice, providers and practitioners. Since 1936 HMI Probation has aimed to improve practice through independently inspecting probation services. However, no research has looked at its impact on those it inspects. This is important not only because the evidence on whether inspection improves delivery in other sectors is weak but also because oversight has the potential to create accountability overload. Following a brief overview of the history, aims and policy context for probation inspection the article presents data from interviews with 77 participants from across the field of probation. Overall, participants were positive about inspection and the Inspectorate. However, the data suggest that inspection places a considerable operational burden on staff and organisations and has real emotional consequences for practitioners. Staff experience case interviews as places for reflection and validation but there is less evidence of the direct impact of inspection on practice. Ultimately, the article argues that inspection can monitor practice whilst also contributing to improving practice and providing staff with a way to reflect on their work, yet this balance is difficult strike. Finally, the article considers the implications of these findings for the Inspectorate and the probation service.

In this comment piece, I explore the relevance of Tomczak's (2019) book Prison Suicide: What Happens Afterwards for those of us working and researching in the field of probation. I argue that many of the findings from Tomczak's research are relevant when thinking about how to enhance accountability and knowledge around the deaths of people under probation supervision.

This article analyses the implications of the greater use of technology and information in probation practice. Using data generated via an ethnography of probation, the article firstly argues that probation in England and Wales now exists in what scholars would identify as 'the information age' (i.e. that computers and other technologies work to define and create probation practice as we know it). The article goes on to use actor-network theory to analyse two 'heterogeneous networks' to explore the way in which probation practitioners and the technologies they use interact to create particular forms of practice. The article argues that unless we understand the technology that underpins practice we cannot fully understand practice. Finally, the article considers the implications of this analysis for probation post-Transforming Rehabilitation (TR).

AbstractAlthough the 'desistance as a (zigzag) journey' metaphor has proved useful in terms of translating theory into practice, this article makes the case that it is insufficient for conveying the truly complex, social, unpredictable and 'messy' process of desistance from crime. The article uses what we know about the process of desistance to discuss the utility of Deleuze and Guattari's (2013) rhizomatic theory in recasting the desistance journey metaphor. In doing so it is suggested that the desistance journey should be understood in terms of its endless and multiplicitous nature, a symbol of metamorphosis, and it argues that our focus should be on understanding the 'desister as nomad'. This, the article concludes, holds important ramifications for the way in which we understand and implement desistance‐focused practice in the criminal justice system.

This article illustrates how the physicality of a probation office can be considered to reflect several important changes in the probation service's recent history through analysis of research conducted in a probation office. Moreover, I argue that the design of probation offices has an important impact on practice. I suggest that the relationship between the 'protected' zone of the office and the 'unprotected' zone of the waiting area and interview rooms is similar to Goffman's 'front stage' and 'back stage' (introduced in his book, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life) and expand on his theory of social action by describing how the architecture of probation represents and potentially perpetuates the creation of an 'us and them' attitude in probation. The article then moves onto the exterior and location of the office to look at how these represent probation's move away from the communities it serves. This has significant consequences if the policy of probation moves towards modes of practice which no longer prioritize standardization and punishment over professional judgment and the importance of the offender−officer relationship. The article concludes by looking at some examples of more inclusive forms of office design and architecture.

This discussion piece emerged out of a conversation about the words we use to describe people who are engaged in and by the criminal justice system. It is underpinned by our belief that language, including the ways we describe people, has important effects in the world. The piece consists of two parts: a brief critical introduction, and a creative dialogue which reflects upon ten key words that have been used to describe people on probation.

This collection offers a comprehensive review of the origins, scale and breadth of the privatisation and marketisation revolution across the criminal justice system. Leading academics and researchers assess the consequences of market-driven criminal justice in a wide range of contexts, from prison and probation to policing, migrant detention, rehabilitation and community programmes. Using economic, sociological and criminological perspectives, illuminated by accessible case studies, they consider the shifting roles and interactions of the public, private and voluntary sectors. As privatisation, outsourcing and the impact of market cultures spread further across the system, the authors look ahead to future developments and signpost the way to reform in a 'post-market' criminal justice sphere.

As marketisation and privatisation reshape the criminal justice system, this illuminating overview sets out their causes, scale and impacts. With case studies and economic, sociological and criminological perspectives, leading academics consider the evolving roles of public, private and voluntary sectors and possible future reforms

AbstractArticle 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that 'everyone has the right to life'. This right is contained in all human rights treaties that developed from the UDHR, including the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Yet, as we argue, the UK government is failing to protect this right when it comes to certain groups of people under probation supervision. To date, human rights legislation has failed adequately to protect these vulnerable individuals and to hold the state to account. This article explores the greater potential for using human rights legislation to ensure better accountability in this area.

This article uses empirical data to consider the impact that Transforming Rehabilitation has had on National Probation Service (NPS) probation officers in terms of the increased numbers of high-risk offenders on the caseload. It was hypothesised by the researchers that the expectation that NPS probation officers would deal with more high-risk offenders would result in additional pressure on them. While this is certainly the case for some probation officers who work in the newly created NPS, the data show nuance in terms of the effect this dramatic change has had on probation officers. The article shows that there are both benefits and disadvantages to having a caseload comprised primarily of high-risk cases. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the findings in terms of the training and resourcing needs required by those NPS probation officers who are struggling with the shift to primarily high-risk offender management.