Probation, PSRs and public protection: Has a ‘critical point’ been reached?

Abstract

This article asks if the time has come to develop ethical and legal safeguards in respect of probation service interviews with offenders related to public protection matters. Police interviews in England and Wales with suspects have long had protective measures around them and have also in recent years developed a whole range of ethical training and protocols to govern the quality of interviewing and information gathering. The measures are deemed necessary as these stages in criminal justice processes are considered to be ‘critical points’. It is argued here that at a time when probation interview training (at least in the qualifying phase) has decreased, the importance attached to the information gained has increased. As indeterminate sentences for public protection become ever-more popular with sentencers, the importance of probation officer risk assessment has reached new heights; yet offenders have only minimal safeguards in terms of what they say to probation officers in interview.

Citizen‐agency versus state‐agency at the frontline in prisons and probation services: A systematic literature review

“…McIntyre, Marquart, & Brewer, 1999). The implementation of adequate assessment and decision‐making tools (Baglivio, Greenwald, & Russell, 2015; Ballucci, 2012; Bonta et al, 2011; Bosker, Witteman, & Hermanns, 2013; Nash, 2011; Persson & Svensson, 2012; Schneider et al, 1996; Viglione et al, 2015) is often viewed as a possible contribution to such a structuring.…”

“…Most authors argue that their professional culture is historically embedded in a tradition of social work (e.g. Corrado, Gronsdahl, MacAlister, & Cohen, 2010; Digard, 2014; Grant, 2015; Gross, 1966; Healy, 2012; Nash, 2011; Persson & Svensson, 2012; Sparrow & McIvor, 2013). As a consequence, many of the reviewed articles describe instances in which probation and prison officers are caught in a dilemma between their ideals and the institutional approach to risk, coercion and punishment (e.g.…”

“…As a consequence, many of the reviewed articles describe instances in which probation and prison officers are caught in a dilemma between their ideals and the institutional approach to risk, coercion and punishment (e.g. Kemshall, 2000; Nash, 2011; Whitehead, 1987).…”

From probation work to criminal sanctions work: Key changes in social work with offenders in Finland from the 1960s to today

“…Kemshall and Woods, 2003;Nash, 2011;Umamaheswar, 2012). Talk of employee safety and discussions about promoting safety through technical security systems increased during the first decade of the 2000s.…”

“…On a strategic level, highlighting safety as the main goal of community sanctions work has had a significant influence on the objectives of client work (cf. Kemshall and Woods, 2003; Nash, 2011; Umamaheswar, 2012). Talk of employee safety and discussions about promoting safety through technical security systems increased during the first decade of the 2000s.…”