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54 Prob. J. 5 (2007)

handle is hein.journals/probj54 and id is 1 raw text is: Probation Editorial The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice Copyright © 2007 NAPO Vol 54(1): 5-6 DOI: 10.1177/0264550507073323 www.napo.org.uk http://prb.sagepub.com The incoherence of criminal justice policy Mass communication and better access to information have led to a world that seems smaller and in some respects less diverse. In the criminal justice context, this is partly because of the influence of North American penal policy, research and thinking around crime, sentencing and the work of the probation service. The tendency towards media driven policy making, which gives more weight to public fears than to empirical evidence about crime, appears to be evolving at pace on both sides of the Atlantic. Criminal justice policy in England and Wales is worryingly responsive to a populist agenda and this has resulted in unstable and unpredictable development of policy and practice. This is characterized by rapid change, repack- aging and rebranding, often introduced with little preparation and thought about the impact on front-line practice. In respect of the probation service, the effect has been confusion about the role and purpose of probation. It has also damaged the morale and confidence of probation staff, whose commitment and dedication has always been a major strength. This journal has always strived to combine examinations of policy with practice implications, and this is reflected by the fact that a number of contributions in this issue are from agency staff writing in partnership with academic staff. This edition also reflects shared international concerns for criminal justice matters, with contri- butions from Ireland, the USA, Scotland and Australia. Articles also examine common issues such as the difficulties of offenders securing employment, public expectations of offenders carrying out visible unpaid work (community service), and the increasing number of community orders breached because of technical violations. In 'Working with sex offenders in context: Which way forward?' Trish McCulloch and Lynn Kelly criticise current policy and practice, arguing that it has been too strongly influenced by media stereotypes and moral panics. The result has been an over-reliance on narrow and unproven cognitive behavioural approaches supported by a raft of exclusionary policies and practices. The authors urge a more frank and balanced approach that more openly acknowledges the contradictions and weaknesses of this approach. To this end they identify a number of core tasks they believe are essential if probation service work with sex offenders is to move beyond 'public and political appeasement' and concentrate instead upon achieving mean- ingful change in the behaviour of sex offenders. 5

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