Probation and Europe

Vivian Geiran, Director of the Irish Probation Service (a former Probation Officer) delivered the Nineteenth Annual Bill McWilliams Memorial lecture which was held on a rain sodden Monday 20th June at the Institute of Criminology, Cambridge University with the grandiloquent title of 'Penal Reform and Probation in Europe: Positive Change of Direction, 'Nudges to the Rudder' or 'Steady as she goes'. Acting as the Interlocutor was the estimable Probation academic Professor Rob Canton, readers might be interested in some edited highlights from this event (full text of which will be available in due course).

The tone of the delivery was measured, informative and upbeat, whilst acknowledging the malign impact of some of the more destructive political interventions that have reshaped probation which colleagues will be painfully familiar with in England and Wales, he offered a broad brush overview of developments across European Justice areas. The Irish Probation Service has statutory oversight of around 10k 'offenders' and 14 prisons, but still derives its probation heritage from what he noted as this country being the 'cradle of European Probation' with a resolute indebtedness to the shared history of probation centred on the 1907 Probation of Offenders Act, which still holds a central place in framing the core relational elements of probation 'advise, assist and befriend' and which had he opined had 'stood the test of time'. He alluded to the chilling effects of political interventions in penal matters often prompted by 'high profile offences' - presently in the Irish context that of gang related violence in Dublin - which often invited robust, toughened penal measures that 'chewed up' more evidenced informed approaches to community safety and more established and confident supervisory oversight.

Citing some of the latest academic literature on best practice, penal overreach (mass supervision!) service user participation and voice, EU Victims directive and evaluation studies, the centrality of the connectivity of Probation globally (one of the evident spin offs of which was his references to European capitals he had visited in his Council of Europe role to bolster local probation services - which mileage might make travel writer Simon Calder blush!). 

The continuing durability of the term 'Probation' was alluded to - not in any rheumy eyed nostalgic throwback - but simply because it was so widely adopted and service users after many years of endless iterations of Offender Management speak - still refer to being 'on probation'. Although there exist many diverse organisational manifestations of how Probation systems operate across Europe (with the exception of Scotland and Slovenia!).

Drawing on other sources of good practice and insight from what he called 'strangers to practice' to support the probation endeavour - the redemptive recognition of 'second chances' and the here to stay place of EM existing alongside well argued supervisory packages, informed by the need to exploit social media (as we know it, Jim!) Aided by a grounded criminal justice consensus 'quite revolution' inspired by the energetic front line promotion of what works - to 'how to work' - that points towards the harm arising from over-imprisonment, recognises the place of hurt and suffering from offending, the centrality of relationships, proper investment in stressed communities (without ameliorative social policy measures much of the above becomes Pollyanna musings!) and how contingent events can unsettle practice and the perennial trope of effective and fearlessly engaged leadership (who now speaks for probation in the corridors of power?) also featured in his address.

Whilst solidarity and integration are fine sounding concepts (there was limited reference to the essential role of trade unions in the wider penal framework or judicial engagement!) the sense I drew from a detailed and nuanced presentation was that at the Trans-European level there are a number of well resourced and valuable probation led initiatives (readers can find link to CEP) - an organisation that was shaped at the outset by Napo - as one well respected former colleague noted in the Q&A session. By widening our field of vision to encompass insights from continental jurisdictions (pre/post EU referendum!) a rich resource of criminal and social justice practice may well offer a more optimistic lens from which to view the current dismal fragmentation evident in the dismantling of Probation (its death -knell!) under the present NPS/CRC arrangements. 

The 'rehabilitative green shoots' that offer this more upbeat scenario can be easily undermined by what Rob Canton in responding to the talk noted as a return to 'the auction of cruelty' evident when populist politicians seeking short-term crude electoral advantage promote 'tough' politicised penal measures. The corrupting influence of expansive profit-driven commercial relationships in probation - (Blog passim!) can be offset by promoting more rounded personalised narratives from service users to a wider public audience on the everyday challenges of positive change and reduced victimisation - valorising the role of Human Rights in penal policy, again within the overarching EU/UN justice framework, there are a dizzying number of such policy directives, but these seem sadly peripheral to those at the front line, were also flagged up.

Although the number of attendees (which including some esteemed former speakers) appeared to be down on previous years - especially evident in the few practitioners present - maybe this event could fall within accredited training! A 20th Bill McWilliams Memorial lecture is planned for 2017 (as is the Third World Congress of Probation in Tokyo). For hard pressed colleagues struggling to cope in an unforgiving probation landscape captured in many of Jim's blog posts, such conferences may well seem somewhat remote and detached, but remaining steadfast to the mission of probation, articulated so well in the life and work of Bill McWilliams, and through his legacy the continuing viability of the lecture series, means that speakers (whether professional or academic) retain a proper focus in their various presentations on how probation from its inception, worked towards reducing the harms of crime on communities, in this talk across continental Europe. 

Can they continue to invigorate a progressive approach towards more inclusive, restorative and evidenced informed practice. Can such engagement at the local, national and international level with practitioners, service users, policy makers and communities be sustained. Maybe next years lecture, to borrow the nautical metaphor, might once again nudge the rudder - but in which direction will the future of probation go?

Mike Guilfoyle
Associate Member Napo.