Reimagining Probation Practice: Re-forming Rehabilitation in an Age of Penal Excess

268 Pages·2022·3.112 MB·English

by  Lol Burke, Nicola Carr, Emma Cluley, Steve Collett, Fergus McNeill

REIMAGINING PROBATION
PRACTICE
This book provides a comprehensive and positive reimagining of probation practice
in England and Wales across all the key settings in which work with people subject to
supervision takes place. Bringing together chapters co-authored by academics and
practitioners, it ofers an overall conceptualisation of the rehabilitative endeavour
within the realities of a probation service recently unifed after the acknowledged
failure of the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms.
Reimagining Probation Practice covers the main themes and job functions of
probation practice, from court work to individual and group interventions, to
resettlement and public protection, to partnerships, to education and training. Each
chapter includes a brief critical history of the area of practice, the current policy
context, the applicability of diferent forms of rehabilitation ( personal, legal/judicial,
social and moral ) to this area of practice, an overview of current good practice and
areas in need of development. The book argues that the principles of parsimony,
proportionality and productiveness should be applied to the criminal justice system
in its work to rehabilitate individuals.
This book is essential reading for practitioners and all those engaged in probation
training, as well as policy makers, leaders, managers and those interested in social
and criminal justice.
Lol Burke is professor in criminal justice at Liverpool John Moores University and
specialises in the areas of probation research, policy and practice.
Nicola Carr is editor of the Probation Journal and a professor of criminology at the
University of Nottingham.
Emma Cluley is a probation ofcer of 22 years standing with Greater Manchester
and currently specialises in responding to personality difculties. She is a clinical lead
in a therapeutic community in Greater Manchester Mental Health Service (NHS).
Steve Collett is a retired chief probation ofcer. He holds honorary positions at the
universities of Liverpool and Manchester and is an adjunct professor at Liverpool
John Moores University and an honorary fellow of the university.
Fergus McNeill is professor of criminology and social work at the University of
Glasgow where he works in the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research
and in Sociology.
As countries world-wide focus on ways to reform various aspects their criminal
justice systems, most are focusing on tweaking existing systems rather than con-
sidering what can and should occur. Reimaging Probation ofers such an approach
to English and Welsh Probation Services. By combining academic and practi-
tioner perspectives, each chapter ofers a critique of current approaches with
recommendations for rethinking probation services that focus on the individuals
rather than impersonal risk assessments.
Rita Shah, Associate Professor of Criminology, Eastern Michigan University
A book constructed by such an impressive line-up of editors raises expecta-
tions of originality, critical analysis, realistic idealism and progressive thinking,
and it will not disappoint. The editors, by bringing together practitioners and
academics to prepare the ground for a renewal of probation as an instrument for
rehabilitative endeavour in its reimagined forms, have produced what is likely to
become a landmark publication in its feld.
Maurice Vanstone, Emeritus Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice,
Swansea University
The changes involved in the emerging new structure for probation in Britain
represent a unique watershed moment to reimagine and refocus probation prac-
tice there. The authors of this book, which could not be more timely, have seen
and seized that moment and produced an optimistic vision through which to
explore the emerging ‘windows of opportunity,’ not only to reimagine but to
help reshape, renew and rebuild probation practice for the better. This exciting
vision is created and developed through building on previous studies and pairing
academic researchers with practitioners, in a uniquely helpful thematic approach
and structure, all of which combine to realise what is a huge gift to the probation
community in the widest sense.
Vivian Geiran, Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Social Work &
Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin and former
Director, Irish Probation Service
As probation emerges from the ravages of Transforming Rehabilitation, this book
arrives, instilling hope for its future and the possibilities for practice. But it is also
heartening that it is so grounded in reality with each chapter co-produced by
a creative pairing of practitioner and academic. Without question, Re-imagining
Probation Practice will become essential reading for new and long-established pro-
bation ofcers – and for all, like me, involved in training.
Anne Robinson, Head of Community Justice Learning, Shefeld Hallam
University
REIMAGINING
PROBATION PRACTICE
Re-forming Rehabilitation in an Age
of Penal Excess
Edited by Lol Burke, Nicola Carr, Emma Cluley,
Steve Collett and Fergus McNeill
Cover image: Original photo artwork was created by Ruth Storey,
a current member of the Editorial Board of the Probation Journal
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 selection and editorial matter, Lol Burke, Nicola Carr, Emma
Cluley, Steve Collett and Fergus McNeill; individual chapters, the
contributors
The right of Lol Burke, Nicola Carr, Emma Cluley, Steve Collett and
Fergus McNeill to be identifed as the authors of the editorial material, and
of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Burke, Lol, editor.
Title: Reimagining probation practice : re-forming rehabilitation in an
age of penal excess / edited by Lol Burke, Nicola Carr, Emma Cluley,
Steve Collett and Fergus McNeill.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2023. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifers: LCCN 2022015294 | ISBN 9780367775995 (hardback) |
ISBN 9780367775940 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003172031 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Probation—Great Britain. | Criminals—Rehabilitation—
Great Britain.
Classifcation: LCC HV9345.A5 R45 2023 | DDC 364.6/30941—dc23/
eng/20220604
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022015294
ISBN: 978-0-367-77599-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-77594-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-17203-1 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003172031
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
This book is dedicated to probation practitioners whose
contribution often goes unrecognised. In particular to those who
have worked throughout years of organisational upheaval and
who have served as frontline workers during the pandemic.
Royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to the
Edridge Fund, which exists to provide money and support to
people in need in the probation service and family courts service
(www.edridgefund.org/).

CONTENTS
List of fgures ix
List of tables x
About the contributors xi
Acknowledgements xvi
List of abbreviations xviii
1 Introduction: reforming, reimagining and moving forward:
for what purpose? 1
Lol Burke, Nicola Carr, Emma Cluley, Steve Collett
and Fergus McNeill
2 Court work and assessment: laying the foundations
for efective probation practice 29
Gwen Robinson, Peter Halsall and Mark Nixon
3 Individual interventions: reimagining the one-to-one
interaction at the heart of probation practice 43
Rachel Reed and Jane Dominey
4 Group interventions: reimagining groupwork by
embedding personal, judicial, moral and social
rehabilitation into practice 59
Nicole Renehan and Olivia Henry
5 Community service and rehabilitation: untapped potential 80
Nicola Carr and Linda Neimantas
viii Contents
6 Resettlement: a people-frst approach to community
(re)integration 96
Matt Cracknell and Charlotte Flinterman
7 Public protection: examining the impact of strengthened
public protection policy on probation practice 112
Stephanie Kewley and Sharon Brereton
8 Reimagining partnerships: a forensic democratic
therapeutic community model 132
Emma Cluley with Shadd Maruna
9 Approved premises: futures of control in the community 152
Peter Marston and Carla Reeves
10 Education and training: delivering the four forms of
rehabilitation: training and developing probation practitioners 174
Anne Burrell and Madeline Petrillo
11 Inspection work: reimagining probation practice
indirectly: how the work of the Inspectorate can support
a reimagined rehabilitation 189
Simi Badachha, Robin Moore and Jake Phillips
12 From electronic monitoring to artifcial intelligence:
technopopulism and the future of probation services 207
Mike Nellis
13 Conclusion: Reforming and reimagining: beyond the
realities of contemporary probation practice 225
Lol Burke, Nicola Carr, Emma Cluley, Steve Collett
and Fergus McNeill
Index 238
FIGURES
1.1 Personal rehabilitation in context 22
4.1 A responsive desistance-focused approach to group interventions 63
9.1 Illustrative model of our vision of a new hostel system 168
10.1 The four forms of rehabilitation and the essential elements of
probation education and training 184