Sunday 1 October 2017

Probation:What Next?

I see that in an attempt to fill the obvious vacuum left by an increasingly side-lined Probation Institute, Napo have teamed-up with independent reporter Hardeep Matharu in her efforts to stimulate a discussion as to how 'probation' can best be recast:- 

That those who commit crimes are still a part of our society, the majority of whom will one day walk past us in the street and again live in our communities is an uncomfortable truth conveniently overlooked by most. How such people are supported through their offending and its consequences should be something that interests everybody. After all, we – each of us – want to live in safe environments in which people can build fulfilling lives and reach their potential; don’t we?

The dual crises engulfing both our prisons and probation services are the ultimate result of a reluctance to even consider how to engage in a wider societal debate about what the role of criminal justice should be and how best its aims can be achieved. Sadly, few could argue that such a debate is not now desperately overdue.

As suicide, self-harm, violence and drug abuse rockets in our overcrowded, under-staffed prisons, failings in the supervision of offenders has fed into, and been exacerbated by, the state of our jails. Chris Grayling was warned that splitting probation into two public and private arms would have deep repercussions.

I remember speaking to deflated, passionate probation officers at the time who told me that their work wasn’t a job, but a vocation – it could be immensely challenging professionally and personally, but that they were driven by a strongly-held desire to help people and better society.

While the Probation Inspectorate has noted that many staff are still working to do the very best they can, the sheer uphill struggle presented by the system in its current state must be frustrating beyond belief.

In its latest report of services in Gloucestershire, the Inspectorate found that while the work of the NPS was “reasonably good… efforts to rehabilitate offenders often came to little or nothing”. While the “CRC’s work is so far below par that its owner and government need to work together urgently to improve matters”.

Now, more than ever, we need well-informed reporting of these issues – a discussion in the public domain about how we can solve the current crises consuming our prisons and probation, but also how we can bring about a new social paradigm around our whole approach to criminal justice.

I have been reporting on justice issues since I was a local newspaper reporter for the Epsom Guardian, covering Chris Grayling’s constituency. I was there when Napo’s members marched through the town centre voicing their opposition to Transforming Rehabilitation.

Now, as an independent reporter, I have recently launched a project on the crowdfunded journalism website Byline to explore the questions I have posed above: what are the solutions and where do we go from here?

If we can’t now return to the “advise, assist, befriend” model of probation, how can we move past the more punitive, bureaucratic approach of recent years? How can prisons better prepare offenders for life outside? Who should be ending up in prison, what are its alternatives and how can probation and community-centred social justice play a role here? Which social failures are being passed off as criminal justice shortcomings?

I am keen to hear from anyone who would be willing to share their thoughts and insights – anonymously if required – on any of the issues I have raised. Please feel free to contact me by emailing matharukhardeep@gmail.com or through Twitter @Hardeep_Matharu. A link to my Byline column can be found here: www.byline.com/column/71. Any support would be much appreciated.


Hardeep Matharu

8 comments:

  1. "Chris Grayling was warned that splitting probation into two public and private arms would have deep repercussions."
    Everything Grayling touched as minister for justice went wrong.

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    1. Having had the displeasure of spending a whole day with Chris Grayling when he was shadow work and pensions minister I can say he is a truly repulsive individual, and agree everything he touches he distroys.
      However, the truth about his Transforming Rehabilitation program is that it never had anything to do with criminal justice issues. The impact it's had on the CJS has been distructive across the board for all involved, but TR really was founded on neoliberal ideology, shrinking the state and opening up public services to a free market paradigm. It was sold as a criminal justice reform, but it really was about something else.
      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

      "That those who commit crimes are still a part of our society, the majority of whom will one day walk past us in the street and again live in our communities is an uncomfortable truth conveniently overlooked by most."

      I know I repeat this, but the conversation about prison, probation, rehabilitation etc needs a total change of direction. The CJS is not a stand alone issue, and needs to be talked about in context with wider and universal social reforms.
      Today's CJS is just a dustbin for for all kinds of social problems. There are far too many to be found within the CJS that simply should not be there.
      Change the way we deal with mental health, change drug laws. Change the notion that if you put someone in prison for 6mths it'll stop them offending again.
      It may stop some reoffending, but if people's offending are based on addiction on mental health problems, then it's likely just to be a waste of time, money and life.
      Some of those that walk past us in the street one day has another inconvenient truth. They shouldn't have been in the CJS in the first place.

      'Getafix

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    2. It's the USA but the problems global.

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-4939746/If-addiction-disease-relapse-mean-jail-time.html

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  2. Every time I read stuff like this I just keep coming back to the crucial issue that the entire system completely fails to involve the person who has committed a crime in designing systems that will actually work. If you don't involve the "client" you won't get buy in and it will fail. It's not rocket science!

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  3. Just discovered the solution (now on R3) - send David Lidington to a performance of Burgess's A Clockwork Orange. He'll be so impressed by the treatment regime imposed upon Alex that we'll have results in no time at all...

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    1. In the year in which we celebrate the centenary of Anthony Burgess’ birth, BBC Radio Drama in collaboration with the BBC Philharmonic, present a UK premiere of his cult novel A Clockwork Orange.

      In 1987 Burgess published a dramatisation of his own classic text which included songs and music also written by the Manchester-born novelist and poet. This will be the first time Burgess’ Clockwork Orange music has been performed along with the play in the UK.

      Commissioned by BBC Radio 3, the radio theatre performance of A Play With Music will also be the second time it has been performed since his death, and the first time his songs have ever been broadcast. It will be recorded with an audience in Hull University’s Middleton Hall and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in Drama On 3 the following evening (Sunday 1 October).

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  4. Probation officer wanted in Guernsey!
    https://career012.successfactors.eu/career?company=C0001230059P

    Grade: EGIII OR EGIV OR EGV - £39,224/£41,792 OR £43,075/£45,506 OR £46,769/£49,410 per annum

    Full Time

    Home Affairs are looking for a Probation Officer to join its Probation Service.

    Probation Officers are the operational staff of the Probation Service having the one to one contact with offenders to assess, monitor and provide therapeutic interventions to reduce and manage offending behaviour.

    The main purpose of the post of Probation Officer is to: provide the Courts with quality information and assessment to assist in sentencing decisions; supervise offenders in the community in order to reduce crime and so protect the public; prepare prisoners for release and resettlement into the community; manage high risk potentially dangerous offenders including violent and sexual offenders.

    Given the nature of the work the post requires flexible working which may include full or part time secondment to the Offender Management Unit at the Prison.

    Please click on the link below to view a full job description for this role.

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