About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

49 Prob. J. 2 (2002)

handle is hein.journals/probj49 and id is 1 raw text is: 























Much  political rhetoric about criminal justice encourages a clear distinction between the
'law-abiding public' (us) and criminal offenders (them) who, we are led to believe, exist in
different physical and moral spheres. Two articles in this edition discuss the limitations of
such an approach  to policy formulation, while stressing the essential importance of social
inclusion and integration of offenders to effective community protection.
The Supervision  of Sex Offenders points out that excluding this particularly despised group
from the social capital of the community will inevitably increase risk by encouraging them
to 'disappear' from the margins of a society in which they are allowed no stake. A similar
point is made  in Racist Violence and  the Probation  Service, which  argues that racist
aggression is likely to be exacerbated by policies and practices which encourage alienation
and weaken  social bonds. Interestingly, much of the thinking in these two articles resonates
with the conclusions of the investigation into the recent 'race riots' in Oldham, Burnley
and Bradford  (the 'Cantle Report'). Although the comparison between these disturbances
and the circumstances of socially dislocated offenders is obviously a limited one, the report
does provide a dramatic illustration of the dangers of separated communities and intolerance.
Racist Violence  and the Probation  Service also argues that the current emphasis in the
Probation Service on risk management  and confrontation is incompatible with an effective
approach to tackling the 'unacknowledged  shame' which, the authors postulate, lies at the
root of much racist offending. It therefore contributes usefully to the recent proliferation of
articles and letters on 'What Works?'  and accredited programmes,   continued at length
in this edition on the Letters pages. Older Offenders and Probation  touches on similar
themes  when  it questions the appropriateness for older offenders of current accredited
programmes   and indeed  other services. The authors suggest that the Probation Service
ignores this group at its peril, and warn that a radical overhaul of attitudes, procedures and
policies is necessary to meet the challenges presented by this growing and in many ways
unique population.
Following  the article in the September 2001 edition focusing on many positive aspects of
probation  training (The Integration of  Theory  and  Practice Within  the Diploma   in
Probation  Studies), the Reflections piece The NVQ   - A  Means   to an  End?  offers a
withering critique of the new arrangements. This paper argues that the training will not only
lead to a drop in standards of probation practice, but is also incompatible with principles
of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice. Given the critical importance of
this issue, responses to the points raised in this article would be particularly welcome.

Remand   prisoners are one of the most vulnerable groups in the prison population, with
multiple needs  and high rates of self harm and  suicide. Pre-Trial Services: Someone
Else's Agenda?  argues that they have suffered from a destructive ambivalence within the
Criminal  Justice System,  manifested  in the lack  of commitment to successful bail
information and  support services. This article heralds the June 2002 Special Issue on
Prisons, Prisoners and Resettlement, which  addresses a wide range  of topics, including
women   prisoners, prisoners as citizens, suicide, self harm and mental health in prisons.

Finally, the Practice Note Drama-Based  Groupwork   describes an innovative project, part
sponsored by a youth offending team, which uses creative methods to engage young people
at risk of offending in accredited education programmes.

As  usual, the Editorial Board would  welcome  letters or articles in response to any of
the articles or other features in this edition.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most