The social construction of probation in England and Wales, and the United States : implications for the transferability of probation practice

This article argues that the histories of probation must be taken into account when implementing standardised probation practice because the current configuration of probation still depends on these social and historical conditions. I show this by outlining the origins of probation in England and Wales and the United States before discussing how the two services developed in different ways and were based on varying notions of the offender. I then demonstrate how some of t hese differences have persisted into the early twenty-first century and argue that the origins of the services have impacted on the uptake of evidence based practice, professional ideology and unified services. Finally, by drawing on Berger and Luckmann, and Jones and Newburn, I suggest that a top-down approach of implementing change can undermine and deprecate previous ways of working with offenders and that the origins of community sanctions might militate against any notion of uniform provision. Keywords: Probation practice; comparative criminology; history; evidence based practice; professionalism; culture

What should happen after the death of a probationer? Learning from suicide investigations in prison.

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

Probation in the news: transforming rehabilitation

This article presents an analysis of the main themes from the media debates around the Government's plans to privatise 70% of Probation Trusts' work. The themes which were identified revolved around the effectiveness, aims and rationale of the reforms. The article argues that opponents to the reforms have played a defensive game presenting a picture of probation which simply mirrors the last ten years of the new Labour era in which managerialism and micro-management characterised the service and have neglected to put forward a more positive argument in terms of what a public probation service can achieve. On the other hand, supporters of the reforms appear to have made considerable use of the tendency of the media to simplify complex issues and appear to have taken heed of the research into the public's attitudes towards rehabilitation in order to garner support for the reforms. The article concludes by considering some alternative strategies and arguments that might have been put forward by opponents in order to mount a more successful case against the reforms

The Effect of Foam Rolling Duration on Subsequent Power Performance

The use of a foam roller has become increasingly popular among athletes and casual exercisers; however, few studies have investigated the effects of foam rolling on subsequent exercise performance. This study was conducted using 24 healthy participants between the ages of 18 and 35 years who exercised at least three times a week. They each completed a familiarization with baseline and post-condition measurements made in the vertical jump test (VJ), pro-agility test (PA), modified weight bearing lunge test (WBL) and modified kneeling lunge test (MKL). In a partially randomized but balanced order, each subject was asked to perform three conditions: supported planking on a heating pad (control), 1-min foam roll (FR), or 5-min FR. Four 3 x 2 repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine whether there were significant differences between the three conditions (control, 1-min FR, 5-min FR) at two times (pre-FR, post-FR) in VJ, PA, WBL, and MKL measurements. The 5-min FR and control condition negatively affected VJ performance while the 1-min FR had no such effect. Furthermore, the 5-min FR exhibited a significantly greater negative effect on VJ performance than the control. The control showed a significant decrease in PA while the 5-min FR did not negatively affect PA performance and the 1-min FR increased PA performance. In the WBL, the 1-min and 5-min FR significantly increased range of motion (ROM) compared to the control. In the MKL, the 1-min and 5-min FR both significantly increased range of motion with the 5-min FR showing significantly greater increase in ROM. These data show that increased 5-min of foam rolling may decrease VJ or power performance but increases ROM to a greater degree than 1 min of foam rolling

At Your Prettiest/Your Name Is

This is a poem showing the progression of my feelings in relation to my gender throughout my life. I identify as both non-binary and as a genderfluid demi-boy, which means I feel my gender changes occasionally, but I usually feel male. I am a member of the trans community, specifically the non-binary portion within it, and I feel this poem accurately represents how that gender identification showed itself as I grew up, even before I realized I wasn\u27t a girl

Australia\u27s Heritage Protection Act: An Alternative to Copyright in the Struggle to Protect Communal Interests in Authored Works of Folklore

Australian indigenous communities are vulnerable to communal harm inflicted by the unauthorized, derogatory use of their works of folklore. Such works are often considered sacred to indigenous communities and are granted significant protection under customary law. However, under many circumstances, the 1968 Copyright Act, the Australian law governing authored works, fails to protect works of indigenous folklore. While an amendment to the Copyright Act appears a likely next step in Australia’s efforts to recognize a community’s interest in communal works of folklore, Australia’s Heritage Protection Act represents a more appropriate and efficient vehicle for addressing unique communal interests in these cultural works

The emotional labour of doctoral criminological researchers

Embarking upon empirical qualitative research can be a daunting and emotional task, particularly for those who are new to research and for those who research vulnerable groups and emotive topics. Doctoral criminological researchers transect these realms, often making their research experiences acutely emotional and challenging. In addition, researchers must be able to perform emotional labour as an important part of their professional practice. Based on 30 semi-structured interviews, this is the first study to explicitly explore the emotional labour of criminological researchers. Using the lens of emotional labour, the performance and impact of undertaking qualitative data collection in doctoral research is examined. From the interview data, three main themes are discussed: emotional labour, the consequences of performing that emotional labour and coping mechanisms to deal with those consequences. The article concludes with recommendations around support and training for PhD candidates, their supervisors and the higher education sector more broadly

“It’s relentless”: the impact of working primarily with high risk offenders

This article uses empirical data to consider the impact that Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) 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