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47 Prob. J. 3 (2000)

handle is hein.journals/probj47 and id is 1 raw text is: 









Criminal justice social work in Scotland has developed along sometimes radically different
lines from probation in the rest of the UK, and as such provides for interesting and instructive
comparison. Arguably, one of the main reasons for the differential development of the system
north of the border is that successive British governments have felt less compelled to exhibit
their 'toughness' to the Scottish constituency, by means of 'populist' reform of the probation
system. This message is both explicit and implicit in a number of the papers in this special
extended  issue of Probation Journal, including Learning  from  the  Scottish Juvenile
Justice System. This  article provides an extremely interesting illustration of contrasting
approaches to youth justice which have developed side-by-side - one leaning towards the
condemnatory  and punitive and the other, evolving in a less politically charged atmosphere,
characterised by a greater emphasis on the protection and welfare of children.
There are a number of highly topical papers on the proposed Probation Service name change.
It would have been remiss not to include in this edition the two non-Scottish papers on this
subject, given the intensity of the recent debate on this issue in England and Wales, and the
disquiet expressed by numerous   commentators  in Scotland and  elsewhere. Re-naming
Probation  makes a powerful argument for the title 'Community Justice Service', while the
Reflections  piece 'Punish  and   Rehabilitate': Do  They   Mean   Us?  represents  an
impassioned rejection of the government's preferred option of 'Community Punishment and
Rehabilitation Service' (CPRS). A specifically Scottish perspective on the debate is provided
in Naming  Criminal  Justice Social Work: A  Scottish Response to Mike  Nellis, and the
subsequent  Reflections piece, which emphasises  the dangers  of centralisation and the
importance of a community  identity for probation. All of these papers illustrate the strength
of feeling which has built up against 'CPRS'  and summarise  the considerable array of
arguments ranged against it.
This edition is not, however, intended merely as a comparative analysis of different systems
and approaches. It is also a celebration of the thinking, research and innovative practice
emanating from Scotland, as represented by the rest of the papers. Measuring Effectiveness:
Linking  Policy, Research and Practice addresses fundamental questions about the way in
which  the effectiveness debate is framed, and examines the attempts of one criminal justice
social work team to take control over the evaluation of its own work. Domestic Violence
Programmes:   A  Framework   for Change  traces the process of change in violent men, as
evidenced in two successful Scottish programmes, by drawing extensively on feedback from
participants. This theme is continued by the article on Personal Construct Theory with
Men   Who   Abuse  Women Partners, which is written by two practitioners who have
developed a deep understanding of and belief in a method they have used successfully for a
number  of years. In the Practice Notes section, Responding to the Human   Rights Act
provides a useful guide to the challenges which lie ahead for criminal justice social work
services, arguing that the European Convention on Human Rights could form the basis for
ethical practice. The Future of Scottish National Standards  discusses the current and
future contribution of these guidelines to effective criminal justice practice from the
perspective of a member of the Scottish Social Work Services Inspectorate.
In common   with every edition of Probation Journal, this special issue aims to facilitate the
sharing of good practice and the development of high quality debate about the theory and
practice of work  with offenders. The  editorial board would like to encourage  further
contributions from across the UK, and would  be delighted to hear readers' views on this
edition. As ever, contributions in the form of articles, letters and other features are welcome.


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