Promoting offender engagement and compliance in sentence planning: Practitioner and service user perspectives in Hertfordshire

Abstract

The following article is based on research in Hertfordshire regarding sentence planning and offender engagement, undertaken with the support of a Graham Smith bursary. The findings suggest that interpersonal contact and relationships between service users and practitioners are of most significance in encouraging compliance and engagement. This in turn suggests that interactional practice skills should be the key focus of future training and development of staff, in terms of enabling them to plan with service users.

The Dynamics of Service User Participation and Compliance in Community Justice Settings

“…But, there has been limited analysis of the extent of service user participation in community justice settings, and the impact on compliance. The few studies of service user participation during probation supervision have found limited evidence that service users participate in the design and implementation of service delivery (see, for example, Hughes ). Equally, the few existing studies of compliance with community‐based orders indicate that service users tend to play a minor role in producing compliance (Phillips ; Ugwudike ; Weaver and Barry ).…”

“…Other studies have also found links between limited participation and lack of engagement during supervision. Hughes (, p.63) found in a study of service users’ engagement with the sentence planning process, that although some of the participating probationers reported that they were willing to attend appointments, they were motivated mainly by instrumental reasons; primarily the requirement placed on them to attend and the ‘benefit’ they sought to achieve from supervision. The study noted that service user participation in sentence planning was limited.…”

“…The study noted that service user participation in sentence planning was limited. Perhaps related to this, their actions were directed towards attendance (as a form of compliance) rather than engagement in the form of commitment to attaining the goals of supervision (substantive compliance) (Hughes 2012). Dubberley and colleagues (2015) explored how, and why, young people undertaking court orders in the community comply with their orders.…”

Politicisation or Professionalisation? Exploring Divergent Aims Within UK Voluntary Sector Peer Mentoring

“…The recognition of the value of lived experiences in justice settings is not an isolated development, rather it forms part of an increasing emphasis on service user engagement in human services, given the necessity for methods that better suit service users’ primary needs (Hughes ) and reduce the divisions between recipients and providers (Beresford , p.310). Simultaneously there has been a political drive to develop volunteering in criminal justice (Cabinet Office ; Ministry of Justice ).…”

Wake-up call

“…Community penalties require young people to do things (such as keeping appointments with YOT workers and participating in activities) that they may otherwise not have done and they may not respond well to threats (Canton, 2008). Conversely, interpersonal contact and relationships between service users and practitioners are deemed to be very important in encouraging compliance and engagement (Farrell, 2002a;Hughes, 2011;McNeill et al, 2005;Maruna, 2001). McNeill (2005) concludes that practitioners might usefully reflect on the importance of verbal messages which are relayed to those on community orders, and the way in which these are delivered.…”