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

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 471-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Nash
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Critical Points ◽  
Probation Officer ◽  
Information Gathering ◽  
Probation Officers ◽  
Protective Measures ◽  
Police Interviews ◽  
Probation Service

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.

scholarly journals From clients as fellow citizens to service users as co-producers of social work

Social Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 141-156
Author(s):  
Peter Beresford ◽  
Suzy Croft
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Probation Officers ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Work Skills ◽  
Youth Justice ◽  
Income Security ◽  
Social Work Training ◽  
Work Training ◽  
Probation Service

Social work training remained the required pattern for probation officers for the first half of the last fifty years. With the abandonment of that link probation has gradually shifted its focus from ‘advise assist and befriend’ to surveillance and risk assessment. With that shift has come incoherence in management and organisation culminating in the disaster of Transforming Rehabilitation, the flagship reform introducing the private sector and payment by results. The policy on adult offenders is contrasted with the relative success of the Youth justice Board.Despite the absence of relationships from probation service publicity material, social work skills are required to engage with the issues of housing, employment and income security which blight lives of offenders after discharge.

scholarly journals Want a Better Criminal Justice Response to Rape? Improve Police Interviews With Complainants and Suspects

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 1748-1769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina J. Westera ◽  
Mark R. Kebbell ◽  
Becky Milne
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
Police Interviews ◽  
Justice Process ◽  
Criminal Justice Process ◽  
Effective Decision ◽  
Effective Decision Making ◽  
Criminal Justice Response

Achieving just outcomes in rape cases is difficult, but there are ways we can improve the investigation and prosecution of these crimes, now. We outline how targeting variables, within control of the criminal justice system, can improve the quality of information police obtain from interviews with complainants and suspects. We explore how, by preserving these accounts on video, the criminal justice process can better use this information to improve effective decision making from investigation through to criminal trial through to prevention.

scholarly journals Signs of Resistance? Swedish Probation Officers' Attitudes towards Risk Assessments

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 95-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Persson ◽  
Kerstin Svensson
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Probation Officers ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
What Works ◽  
Risk Assessment Tools ◽  
Probation Service ◽  
Organizational Logic ◽  
Risk Concept

The Swedish Prison and Probation Service has been influenced by the ‘What Works’ agenda since the late 1990's and an orientation towards risk and risk management has gradually become visible in the organization. But there is, within the probation service, a discrepancy between two types of logics — an organizational logic and a professional logic. Although guidelines prescribe the use of risk-assessment tools, they are in reality seldom used by practitioners. Through an examination of the reasons given by the probation officers who expressed doubts or concerns about the risk-concept, we question whether this could be seen as signs of resistance based on professional logic.

Strengths, resources or controls? The assessment of protective factors in probation practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-235
Author(s):  
Rob Whyman
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Probation Officers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Probation Service

This article is based on research that explored how well protective factors are understood, assessed and used in risk assessment within probation practice. The research was facilitated by the Sir Graham Smith Award, administered by the Probation Institute. Semi-structured interviews explored the knowledge, ability, confidence and attitudes of a sample of probation officers working in the National Probation Service. The findings suggest that understanding of the term is varied, and there are some limitations around knowledge, but that attitudes towards protective factors are positive and there is some good practice in terms of assessment.

scholarly journals The need for intercultural sensitivity: A frontline report of a German probation officer

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 308-311
Author(s):  
Christian Ghanem
Keyword(s):  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Intercultural Sensitivity ◽  
Probation Officer ◽  
Probation Officers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Probation Service ◽  
Critical Reflections

In this contribution, a German probation officer provides some critical reflections and argues for an increasing need to enhance intercultural sensitivity among probation officers. If the probation service wants to avoid contributing to the social exclusion of its clients, changes on an educational, organizational and political level are necessary.

An audit of the quality of HCR-20 violence risk assessments in a low secure service

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Piyal Sen ◽  
Simone Lindsey ◽  
Nilanjan Chatterjee ◽  
Rajesh Rama-Iyer ◽  
Marco Picchioni
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Clinical Improvement ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Information Gathering ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Clinical Judgement ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Secure Unit ◽  
Quality Tool

AbstractIntroductionThe HCR-20 is one of the most popular structured clinical judgement tools used in forensic settings; yet, there are no published tools to assess the quality of its use. This study used the CAI-V, a tool to assess the competency of those carrying out risk assessment, to develop a quality tool for the use of HCR-20.MethodThe audit was carried out between July 2012 and July 2013 on all patients resident in St Andrew’s Essex, a low secure unit. The results of the first audit led to an action plan for clinical improvement, subsequently re-audited a year later.ResultsMost of the HCR-20 ratings scored in the competent range in both audits, but the greatest weakness was identified in the treatment planning section. The re-audit showed improvement, but there remained areas for development.DiscussionThe audit highlighted broad areas of improvement like the need for full multidisciplinary involvement, more attention to formulation, and the need for greater consultation and information gathering from outside professionals and family members. The quality tool developed could be adapted to the requirements of any service, and used accordingly.

scholarly journals POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE COURT OVER THE PROBATION OFFICER

Probacja ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 71-105
Author(s):  
Mieczysław Oliwa
Keyword(s):  
Probation Officer ◽  
Professional Group ◽  
Probation Officers ◽  
Working Time ◽  
District Court ◽  
District Courts ◽  
Probation Service ◽  
Special Location

The article presents the issue of the powers of the president of the court in relation to professional probation officers who form the probation officer service in the area of jurisdiction of the district court. Due to the special location of court guardianship at the level of a district court and a regional court, the author focuses on the powers of presidents of regional courts and presidents of district courts, arising directly from the Act on probation officers or directly related to it. The aim of the study was to collect, systematize and organize the powers of court presidents under the Act on probation officers in such a way that it was possible to indicate which of these powers belong to the president of the regional court, and which belong to the president of the district court. The variety and specificity of the tasks entrusted to probation officers, the related task-related working time and the statutory self-government of this professional group may cause doubts as to the bodies authorized to exercise powers in relation to this professional group. Taking into account the organizational distinctness of the probation service in terms of supervision entrusted to the district probation officer, the author indicates the powers that the presidents of the district and regional courts have in relation to probation officers.

scholarly journals COUNTERACTING MOBBING IN THE PROBATION SERVICE

Probacja ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 129-162
Author(s):  
Mieczysław Oliwa
Keyword(s):  
Probation Officer ◽  
Professional Group ◽  
Probation Officers ◽  
District Courts ◽  
Special Position ◽  
Administration Of Justice ◽  
Remedial Actions ◽  
Probation Service

This article discusses the issues related to the possible causes of mobbing in the professional group of probation officers and the issues of tasks and activities of the probation officer employer in situations related to the phenomenon of mobbing in the probation officer service. Due to the special position of probation in the administration of justice, the author focuses on the tasks of presidents of regional and district courts aimed at counteracting the phenomenon of mobbing. It refers to activities that seem advisable in the event of the initiation of appropriate proceedings and remedial actions in the event of confirmation of mobbing. The issue of mobbing in the probation service has not been covered by a broader analysis so far. The aim of this study was to indicate the tasks incumbent on the presidents of courts as persons performing the tasks of the employer towards the probation officer, related to counteracting the phenomenon of mobbing. It cannot be ruled out that the variety and specificity of tasks entrusted to probation officers, the nature of these tasks and the structure of the location of this group in the structure of the judiciary may cause doubts as to the implementation of tasks related to counteracting mobbing.

Social work in probation

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 165-179
Author(s):  
Marcin Jaros
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Probation Officer ◽  
Probation Officers ◽  
Final Part ◽  
Useful Knowledge ◽  
Criminal Sanctions ◽  
Control Institution

The article aims to present the possibilities of using the potential of social work in the activities of a probation officer. The probation officer widely regarded as a „control” institution in relation to persons subject to criminal sanctions implements measures to improve their quality of life. My goal was to show how effective and useful knowledge of social work can be in achieving the goals of a probation officer. In the final part, the article shows how graduates of social work can apply for a job as probation officers, along with showing the benefits and consequences of exercising this profession.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document