Delivering McJustice? The Probation Factory at the Magistrates’ Court

Despite playing a pivotal role in thousands of defendants’ experiences of criminal justice every year, the role of probation workers in the English and Welsh Magistrates’ courts has been neglected by researchers for several decades. This article presents the findings of an ethnographic study of the work of probation staff in two such courts. The study suggests that probation work in this context is being squeezed into an operating model which bears all the hallmarks of a process described by Ritzer as ‘McDonaldization’. It is argued that the proximate causes of McDonaldization in this sub-field of probation work lie at the intersection of parallel Government-led reform programmes – Transforming Rehabilitation and Transforming Justice – which have respectively focused on creating a market for probation services and enhancing the administrative efficiency of criminal proceedings. Until now, almost no attention has been paid, either by researchers or policy-makers, to the intersection of these programmes of reform in the probation suites at the Magistrates’ courts

Listening to women: relational approaches to female offender management

Purpose: To explore women’s experiences of criminal justice systems to inform the development of guidance on working with women.Design/methodology/approach: A two-part, independent samples, qualitative study utilising semi-structured interviews incorporating both IPA and Thematic Analysis was conducted. In study 1, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six women on probation in the community and data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Interviews in study 2 were conducted with seven women in custody with data analysed using inductive-deductive thematic analysis. The applicability and expansion of study 1 themes was then explored.Findings: Seven emergent themes indicated relational approaches to offender management may improve experiences of judicial systems for female offenders and for their probation officers. This approach may help prevent common systemic issues from perpetuating negative interactions between these groups. Specific suggestions for developing relational security and consistency of care within these relationships are provided. Practical implications: Taking a relational approach to female offender management may help remedy some of the systemic difficulties faced by female offenders and their probation officers. Originality: By focussing on the experiences of women screened in to the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway this study provides insight as to how this service can assist in the development of relational security between probation staff and their clients

Palliative care in UK prisons: practical and emotional challenges for staff and fellow prisoners

Despite falling crime rates in England and Wales over the past 20 years, the number of prisoners has doubled. People over the age of 50 constitute the fastest growing section of the prison population, and increasing numbers of older prisoners are dying in custody. This article discusses some of the issues raised by these changing demographics and draws on preliminary findings from a study underway in North West England. It describes the context behind the rise in the numbers of older prisoners; explores the particular needs of this growing population; and discusses some of the practical and emotional challenges for prison officers, health care staff, and fellow prisoners who are involved in caring for dying prisoners in a custodial environment

The meaning of place and space in a probation approved premises

In a previous paper the author explored how the social life of resident offenders in a Probation Approved Premises was structured around social group identities; noting that these groups were reflected in the way space within the institution was used and imbued with meaning. This paper develops on these observations from an ethnographic case study of a Probation Approved Premises, highlighting the interplay between residents’ social and place-identities and the fundamental importance appreciating the meaning of places within the institution has to understanding the cultural experience of being a resident within this criminal justice context

The probation service in England and Wales: A decade of radical change or more of the same?

This article reviews developments in probation in England and Wales since 2010, a decade in which services were exposed to the logic of competition and profit. In 2014, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition government’s Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) reforms promised an end to a top-down, target-centric culture of state intervention by outsourcing services for low-to-medium risk offenders to 21 privately-owned Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs). And yet, just four years after the reforms were implemented, the Conservative government announced that CRCs’ contracts would be terminated, with all offender management services returned to the public sector. With a focus on the private sector, the article argues that radical change to the probation service’s structure has entrenched a focus on centrally-administered performance targets and audit. In other words, contrary to the decentralising rhetoric at the core of TR, the decade has in many ways produced more of the same managerialism that the reforms were presented as a means to displace. The result has been a general decline in the quality of probation services

Designing Solutions for Improved Support within Health, Social Care and Criminal Justice for Adults with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism who Have Offended

People with learning disabilities and/or autism encounter considerable challenges on the pathways through the criminal justice and/or forensic health systems. This article presents a thematic analysis of focused discussions between users, professionals and practitioners from health, social care and criminal justice. It is informed by the social model of disability, which dictates its focus on solutions for maximising the full and effective participation of disabled users. Informants raised key challenges, including indirect disability discrimination and risk aversive practice, and evidenced innovative solutions. These include person‐centred, multi‐agency working, screening, information sharing, inclusive service design, nurturing sustainable key relationships and long‐term community support

Victim awareness : re-examining a probation fundamental

‘Ensuring offenders' awareness of the effects of crime on the victims of crime and the public’ is one of five stated aims of the National Probation Service of England and Wales and specifically undertaking victim awareness work is an expectation of the service’s work. The nature and putative value of such work appears to be rarely questioned however. It is argued that ‘victim awareness’ is a confused concept in terms of its rationale, definition, and empirical basis as a criminogenic need. These issues are evaluated and the practice implications discussed. A possible model of victim awareness work is described

The experience of young people transitioning between youth offending services to probation services

Jayne Price, The experience of young people transitioning between youth offending services to probation services, Probation Journal (Vol. 67 Iss. 3) pp. 246-263. Copyright © 2020 (SAGE). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.This article explores the experience of transitioning from youth offending services to adult probation services upon turning age 18 years whilst incarcerated. The significant differences in the level of provision has been described as a ‘cliff-edge’ (Transition to Adulthood Alliance, 2009). Drawing upon interviews with young people held in institutions, stakeholders and survey data from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP), it is argued that the drop in support is exacerbated by poor communication between institutions and services which has harmful implications for young people during this crucial period of developmental maturity and beyond custody

A model of a specialist transitional support and liaison service within the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway in Wales: Learning from a regional pilot service

The process of transitioning from custody to the community can be a time of increased risk of reoffending and heightened anxiety brought on by uncertainty of future plans and unfamiliarity of new surroundings. This period can be particularly problematic for those experiencing complex needs or suffering with mental health difficulties. To address this concern, the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway (OPDP) in Wales established a Transitional Support Liaison service. This pilot service began with a focus on women’s criminal justice journeys and evident benefits led to service expansion to additionally address men’s transitions to the community through Approved premises. This practice note outlines the learning from these services, presenting a model of service delivery that can be adopted and expanded more widely. The paper concludes with recommendations and plans for service expansion