Probation migration(s): Examining occupational culture in a turbulent field

Abstract

In June 2014 approximately 54 per cent of the total probation service workforce in England and Wales were transferred to the newly created Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) as part of the government's plans to establish a market for offender management services. This marked the beginning of one of the largest and most significant migrations of criminal justice staff from the public to the private sector in England and Wales. This article presents findings from an ethnographic study of the formation of one of these CRCs through to the period immediately following the transfer into private ownership. The authors discuss the key features of this migration which are identified as 'splitting and fracturing', 'adapting and forming' and 'exiting or accommodation'. It is contended that this development not only has significant implications for the future of probation services but also provides a unique example of the impact on an occupational culture of migration from the public to the private sector.

Probation, Privatisation and Legitimacy

“…Some of the interviewees in our case study area were, however, relatively unconcerned about the prospect of private ownership, and even cautiously optimistic that it might enhance the organisation's effectiveness (see Robinson, Burke and Millings ; Burke, Millings and Robinson ). These staff placed a higher normative value on doing the job and ‘making a difference’ in the lives of offenders than on other values around public service, and they felt energised by the prospects of improved IT systems, the relaxation of national standards and a renewed emphasis on rehabilitation.…”

“…15 Conscious that the new organisation in which they were now working had been stripped of its 'probation' label, many worried that its acquisition by a private company might bring a new moral taint to its identity, thereby exacerbating the CRC's struggle to win recognition and gain a legitimate foothold in an already crowded and complex criminal justice field (see also Robinson, Burke and Millings 2016). 'Making a difference' and the promise of innovation Some of the interviewees in our case study area were, however, relatively unconcerned about the prospect of private ownership, and even cautiously optimistic that it might enhance the organisation's effectiveness (see Robinson, Burke and Millings 2016;Burke, Millings and Robinson 2016). These staff placed a higher normative value on doing the job and 'making a difference' in the lives of offenders than on other values around public service, and they felt energised by the prospects of improved IT systems, the relaxation of national standards and a renewed emphasis on rehabilitation.…”

“…This ethnographic study began in March 2014 and finished in June 2015, and involved over 100 individual and focus group interviews and approximately 120 hours of observations, engaging staff at every level within the new organisation. For more information about the study and its findings in respect of workers' identities and probation occupational cultures, see Robinson, Burke and Millings (2016) and Burke, Millings and Robinson (2016). 3 The idea that offenders can be separated into categories of high, medium and low risk and that only the supervision of the former group constitutes 'public protection work' has been heavily criticised (for example, see Robinson 2016).…”

“…This ethnographic study began in March 2014 and finished in June 2015, and involved over 100 individual and focus group interviews and approximately 120 hours of observations, engaging staff at every level within the new organisation. For more information about the study and its findings in respect of workers’ identities and probation occupational cultures, see Robinson, Burke and Millings () and Burke, Millings and Robinson ().…”

The Effects of Changes to Legal Aid on Lawyers' Professional Identity and Behaviour in Summary Criminal Cases: A Case Study

“…Acting in a cooperative way also enables defence solicitors to maintain credibility and therefore remain a member of the exclusive, familiar group of personnel who work in summary criminal courts. 135 Alternatively, by continuing to act in such circumstances, lawyers may be performing a type of`defiant resilience' 136 in which they try to act in accordance with the habits of their field by emphasizing the serviceorientated nature of their work. This may be a coping mechanism that enabled them to protect their professional identity despite organizational change.…”