NCJ Number
153875
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 34 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1995) Pages: 19-44
Date Published
1995
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Since 1988, the British probation service has stridently proclaimed a social work ideal, drawn from a generic understanding of social work, to ward off the threat of the government's punishment in the community strategy, which culminated in the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) 1991 and the imposition of national standards in eight areas of probation practice.
Abstract
This paper argues that, in the aftermath of punishment in the community and the managerial culture which ensued, a fundamental reconceptualization of probation values is needed. Although the most drastic CJA proposals for the punishment in the community strategy were not immediately implemented, the ethos and organization of the probation service underwent rapid change and led to a lowering of morale among basic grade officers. This paper discusses issues related to the subsequent modernization of the service, including the limits of genericism, the rise of benevolent corporatism, and the values of anticustodialism, restorative justice, and community safety. 16 notes and 120 references