A Rant

There's no use trying to pretend. I'm pretty depressed about probation and its future at the moment and such a frame of mind is simply not conducive to writing I fear. Maybe it has all been said and it's a lost cause. It's certainly a topic that gets precious few people blogging about when compared to say the law, police or courts even. I suspect my colleagues are so ground down by the relentless pressure of the job that there is precious little spare capacity to indulge in discussion. I notice that even the revived NAPO forum pages are not back to their former level of useage. Could it be apathy or like me just an overwhelming feeling that it's all gone wrong, but there seems to be no way of doing anything about it?

This job used to be so straightforward, simple even. You were paid by the State to 'help' people who had committed offences. The job was invented because good christian folk eventually realised that sending all miscreants to prison was a bit unfair and often pointless. The offences were committed because the offender had problems. Prison made the situation worse and the problems greater, so they went back in. The notion of offering philanthropic assistance was born. Simples. Ok it got institutionalised and professionalised and philanthropy became state-funded assistance, but the idea is pretty simple and understandable you would have thought. It's just as relevant a concept today as in 1911 or 1811 even. So why can't we as a society just let probation officers get on with it unhindered by the ever-increasing dead hand of government interference? 

Of course I've now strayed into begging the inevitable question 'so did it used to work then?' The answer is exactly the same as the answer to that other ridiculous question 'so does prison work?'  The answer to both is 'yes and no' and for a whole host of reasons. Even during the halcyon days of the Welfare State, government agencies, probation included, were never able to ensure that all citizens had decent housing, a good education, appropriate health care, adequate training and full time employment. But when it was left alone by government, probation did absolute wonders in addressing many of these deficits by constantly innovating and developing new services.

Of course doing something about these fundamental deficits still lies behind Ken Clarke's plans for a 'Rehabilitation Revolution.' It should be self evident that the likelihood of offending will reduce if a persons circumstances improve. It goes right back to the Victorian pioneers and philanthropists. The irony is that the Justice Secretary feels he has to seek the innovation and new ideas from outside the Probation Service because we were robbed of that ability when  nationalised by the last Labour government, having been already steered away from advising, assisting and befriending by an earlier Conservative government. We're strangled by targets and bureaucracy and barely have time to see clients. It really was a mistake guys. I started out depressed and now I'm angry. Oh dear.