Probation Journal current issue

A collective failure?

Burke, L. — 2009-09-04

The prisoner 's right to vote and civic responsibility: Reaffirming the social contract?

Easton, S. — 2009-09-04

This article considers the issue of the prisoner’s right to vote in the light of recent developments in law and policy. It critically reviews the purported justifications for disenfranchisement and argues that re-enfranchisement should be pursued on the grounds of both principle and policy.

Stress, support and well-being as perceived by probation trainees

Collins, S., Coffey, M., Cowe, F. — 2009-09-04

A study on stress, support and well-being was carried out with probation trainees (n = 110). The study indicated that working as a probation trainee entailed high demands. Greater levels of demands were experienced by trainees with children and those undertaking part-time work. A large majority of trainees reported a high sense of personal accomplishment, had good self esteem, held positive attitudes towards themselves and enjoyed their work with offenders. Female trainees had significantly less positive attitudes towards themselves than males. Small, but significant numbers of trainees experienced problems with stress, well-being, low self-esteem, tiredness and emotional exhaustion. They might benefit from receiving more individual support, mutual group support and stress management courses. ‘Professional’ support opportunities from fellow students and practice development assessors were perceived as more important than from family or friends. There were some significant differences between trainees in their perceptions of support offered by Consortia and their tutors. Overall, there were no significant differences in relation to age or ethnicity.

Probation officers' perspectives on recent Belgian changes in the probation service

Bauwens, A. — 2009-09-04

Throughout the last decade Belgium’s criminal justice sector — and its probation service in particular — has undergone a period of rapid change generated by public criticism, political pressure and calls for reform. This qualitative study highlights how structural changes have influenced probation practice by focusing on how probation officers themselves have perceived these recent organizational changes. These preliminary findings draw on a qualitative study of probation officers working in the House of Justice in Brussels and are compared with developments in England and Wales.

Probation and offender manager training: An argument for an integrated approach

Knight, C., Stout, B. — 2009-09-04

De Montfort University (DMU) was commissioned by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to carry out skills profile research to inform the proposed new probation training framework and curriculum. This article will outline the findings of this research and discuss the future of probation training. It will argue that the future training arrangements for probation staff need to take account of the fact that complex offender-focused work is now being carried out by various grades of staff and that the issue of role boundaries should be central to the debate about competency and qualifications. Whilst training resources can no longer be disproportionately targeted at the probation officer grade, to the detriment of other grades, the importance of higher education in enabling the development of critical and reflective skills as well as knowledge for all staff is emphasized.

The predictive validity of the OASys self-assessment questionnaire

Cluley, E. — 2009-09-04

Probation officer and offender views of the Community Order and the Suspended Sentence Order

Cluley, E. — 2009-09-04

Inspection of Youth Offending Teams 2003--2008

Fox, C. — 2009-09-04

An economic analysis of alternatives to prison for women offenders

Fox, C. — 2009-09-04

Review: Understanding Criminal Behaviour: David Jones Willan Publishing; 2008; pp 336; {pound}19.99, pbk ISBN: 978--1--84392--303--9

Lloyd, M. — 2009-09-04

Reluctant Gangsters -- The Changing Face of Youth Crime John Pitts Willan Publishing, 2008; pp 176; {pound}22.99, pbk ISBN: 978--1--84392--365--7

Griffith, H. — 2009-09-04

Review: Social Work with Young People Roger Smith: Polity Press; 2008; pp 218; {pound}14.99, pbk ISBN: 978--0--74563--913--0

Martin, R. — 2009-09-04

Review: Sexual Offending and Mental Health: Multidisciplinary Management in the Community Julia Houston and Sarah Galloway (eds): Jessica Kingsley; 2008; pp 288; {pound}25, pbk ISBN: 978--1--84310--550--3

Digard, L. — 2009-09-04

In court

Stone, N. — 2009-09-04

Useful and essential drug and alcohol guides for practitioners and managers

2009-09-04