Regular readers will be aware that there has been a deafening silence since Armistice Day. There's no particular significance in that, but I thought I ought to say something in case anyone was wondering about my well being. The truth is that I seem to have run out of things to say - or at least new things. I really don't want to be endlessly repeating myself, so it would appear that a natural break has occurred. Oh, and I did attract the attention of 'spammers' which can be very dispiriting.
Maybe it's the weather, the time of year, a reaction to circumstances or just the inevitable function of the passage of time, but I seem to be once again depressed by the state probation finds itself in. In truth there are times when I am just overwhelmed by the crass stupidity of so called changes, efficiencies and improvements. The ridiculous nomenclature that labels offices as 'service delivery units' and management initiatives that seek to re-invent the wheel such as evidenced by the latest fad, 'destistance' theory. As if we hadn't been doing that all along!
I guess I'm just fed up - and in this festive season, I'm spending more time on one of my favourite hobbies - sinking good beer in great pubs with friends. I'm sure something will eventually grab my attention and encourage words to flow. For a start, there's episode 5 of 'What does a Probation Officer do? But in the mean time I'd like to leave readers with an idea. How about posing some questions and I have a stab at providing some answers?
Cheers for now,
Jim
Jim,
ReplyDeleteGood to read that you are taking a well earned 'sabbatical' .. could I recommend Adnams Tally Ho ( in moderation of course) over this festive season.. you will be aware that Labour is undertaking a review of Criminal Justice ( deadline submission date for contributors 12 th January 2012).. Questions on Probation :
Q17. What best practice is there in this country and abroad in effective probation?
Q18. How do we deliver lower re-offending rates in an age of reduced public finance?
Q19. What works best in ensuring those in custody are fully equipped with the skills and confidence needed for effective rehabilitation?
Q20. How best can we address the challenges of mental health, drug and alcohol dependency in our prisons and outside our prisons?
Q21. What challenges are there in payment by results models delivering a more cost-effective way of reducing re-offending?
A heady brew... look forward to more insights from the front line ( aka SDU'S!!) in the New Year.
Regards
Mike
Good to see you back in harness. You asked for suggestions for posts; It seems common practice for PSRs when appropriate to quote the phrase when offering possible disposals:- "a suspended term of imprisonment" or words similar. Sentencing structure which I presume is known to PSR writers is quite clear. "An offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence is appropriate". Then and only then thought and consideration can be given as to whether or not there are grounds for suspension. Thus your colleagues should be writing that custody is appropriate but could be suspended on the following grounds......if the court concurs. This is not semantics. It goes to the heart of the writer`s understanding of how a court sentences. Do your colleagues have training commensurate with their responsibilities?
ReplyDeleteI would like to know how a community based offender management system can claim to protect the public? I find this alarming as you do not have the powers to restrain individuals or indeed supervise them 24 hours a day. Does this not set you up to fail? I recall reading about the murder of two French students in London which resulted in the Probation Service being held responsible for the acts of the perpetrator. Ludicrous as it suggested that the Assessment Tool was, if completed correctly, a fool proof system.
ReplyDeleteI am long retired from the service and was once a JP. In response to the JP above, I acknowleged custody when writing Court Reports. I recommended custody when necessary or if the offence demanded it. I sometimes argued against the length of a prison sentence if I felt that justice could be served and the offender did not pose an undue risk to reoffend. If I felt an offence was serious but it was unlikely to be repeated then I also argued for a community sentence. Breach proceedings were instigated when appropriate so local Courts did trust me!!!
I worked before MAPPA was introduced but always liased with local police and other agencies. I often accompanied district nurses to ensure injections were provided for those on Probation or supervised under licence from Special Hospitals. I always felt that I was an officer of the court who lived and worked in the local community. I felt that in addition to supervising and helping offenders, I also had to consider the community. I worded long hours very willingly and noone told me what to do unless I asked for advice. I tried to operate the same system when I moved into management. I feel very sad that NOMS has been introduced creating another level of management. I think that the management of the service in response to an ever vengeful media who whip up the public have not stood up for the values which we have always held. We have always dealt with people in society who have been failed by that society. The welfare principle is important as well as other issues such as completing courses. We did not need all those tick boxes to ensure that we did our jobs. Management has gone mad and it appears that they believe that the public will believe their message that the service is there to protect them.
I am often amused when I read about the next great theory to reduce offending. I have heard them all before and indeed tried many of them.
Enjoy your beer and friends! I do enjoy your blog......
Was getting worried about you. Have a good Christmas and then please return refreshed.
ReplyDeleteA sign that you need a rest perhaps is your reaction to desistance theory. Normally you are more resigned to people reinventing the wheel, particularly if it is turning in the right direction. Better, surely, late converts with new labels than the "nothing works" brigade.
1. Have you ever supervised anyone that you felt was genuinely innocent of the crime committed? How would you supervise them in this case?
ReplyDelete2. How does a resentencing work for good behaviour and bad behaviour whilst on probation.
Jim
ReplyDeleteDon’t despair that juices have run dry. Perhaps you have reached a natural point.
The simple fact is that the current situation has evolved from what went before, a place where we all lived. We all have some responsibility towards the present and the future, and it can be seen that what has happened in past times has a logical progression to today. Does it ever dawn on anyone that the stuff we have to tolerate in society is a direct result of the incompetence of the past? An inability to recognise and challenge ineptitude and a system of uncritically granted tenure, led to a belief in superiority and being untouchable.
It may be more useful to admit collective failures in overall style rather than turn the wagons into a circle to repel censure. Throughout history, alchemists and miracle workers have extracted status. They’ve done so because they have woven an image to convey an impression causing patrons and peers to believe their job to be difficult, demanding supreme skills.
This is not an error of interpretation; it is much worse than that. There are basic failures to understand elementary wrongs, which all could have been avoided by intrusive and proper structure in the first place. Much criticism is made of the modern world, but the past was no different. If people are serious about progression, address those issues and lost opportunity, rather than spout the drivel of, ‘If only we went back to….’
What happened has gone – get over it. It is only wonderful in retrospect and there is no way of going back. Society has moved on as a whole, and I for one don’t want to see some of the past practices return. Blaming OASYS is as useful as believing Gordon Brown’s speeches and believing Peter Mandelson was misunderstood.
Take a long look at those reliant on cheap political dogma and the zealous pursuit of the trivial, with a complete inability to challenge and implement decisions that have real impact on lives. Consider the genii who, owing to the obvious superiority of having a 2:2 in sociology from Lower Boghampton Redbrick university, are able to decide that people are unfit to adopt because they are ‘too white’ or ‘haven’t experienced sufficient racism’ as being adequate reasons to deprive a child of a prospective loving home.
Perhaps modern life is simply the logical extension of what has been going on for the last decade which shall be known as the time when shelf-stackers became Inventory Relocation Assistants and Personnel begat HR, which begat Talent Management. This is all part of an insidious plan to put a positive spin on absolutely everything, even the most mundane of tasks, dullest of concepts or biggest of failures.
You may also consider that the sagacity of your entries do not require answers or comment. Please consider those who run parallel to you, such as the blustering ‘Inspector Gadget’ (why do you constantly misspell this?) and the utterly execrable left wing ‘Magistrates Blog,’ where a Local Bumbler exhibits cheap prejudice and unbelievable stupidity. The thought of either of these two having any judicial authority over the rest of us show how far we have descended.
The choice is simple. Continue the good work or stop now. Leaving at the top of the game is a talent; don’t descend to second rate billing.
Have a good Christmas and reflect on those who would not allow such a term as ‘it could be offensive’
Chris
Just some quick thoughts regarding the protection of public.
ReplyDeleteAll of the processes discussed below are tools by which Probation contributes to the management of risk and the protection of the public. What the Probation Service cannot do is guarantee the safety of the public, any more that the Government can guarantee that no terrorist acts will ever take place on UK soil. But the Probation Service can certainly reduce the risk and potential for harm in those it supervises. These are some of the ways we can do it:
Recall – Offenders on post sentence supervision can be recalled by the Probation Service, in some cases within two hours. If an Offender Manager considers an offender to be at sufficient risk of re-offending after release, there are actions they can take to facilitate a return to prison, thereby preventing further offending. There are checks and balances in place in order to ensure that the option is exercised appropriately but this process results in thousands of offenders being returned to prison every year.
Life Licences – similar to other forms of recall, a life sentence prisoner in the community can be returned to prison if the OM considers there to be an unacceptable risk of further offending. Again, there are checks and balances but the ability of Probation to action a recall in an effort to protect the public is a well established system. Most offending doesn’t erupt spontaneously. Rather several precipitating factors build to a point where an offence is likely. An experienced and trained Probation Officer/PSO can recognise these factors and take remedial action, thereby preventing the build up reaching a critical point.
MAPPA – Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements – a panel of people including Probation and Police who are tasked with the management of particularly dangerous individuals. The sharing of intelligence and resources allows for the more effective monitoring and management of the offender and the prevention of further offending.
MARAC – similar to MAPPA, the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference offers a similar intelligence/resource targeting opportunity to those concerned with the management of domestic violence perpetrators,
Safeguarding Children/Child Protection/Core Groups - similar to MAPPA and MARAC, the Safeguarding Core Groups offer a similar intelligence/resource targeting opportunity to those concerned with the management of issues relating to Child Protection.
Approved Premises – the Approved Premises system can provide accommodation for offenders who need increased levels of supervision and monitoring. The use of curfews is particularly effective as, unlike ‘tagging’, the premises where the offender is staying are staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 365 days a year. Everyone who enters or leaves the building is logged and, although it is not a secure environment like a prison, an offender’s whereabouts and movements can be controlled to a greater degree.
Victim Contact – Probation facilitates the involvement of victims in decision making regarding offenders who have committed serious violent and sexual offences, thereby allowing victims input into various aspects of the management of that offender including where they are located, when they may be released, where they can reside, what areas they can be excluded from as part of their licence conditions, whether they should be released on a tag etc.
Women’s Safety Workers – when an offender is sentenced to an Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme, their partners/ex-partners are offered the services of a WSW who liases with them throughout the Order in an effort to help manage the risks posed by the offender whilst they go through the programme. The WSW can offer support, guidance, a single point of contact and a link with the offender manager that will highlight any concerns around continuing behaviours that may lead to offending. This will allow the WSW to identify any concerns and to communicate them to the offender manager so that remedial action can be taken.