Or, instead of sleepwalking into that dystopian future, we could actually learn from what has worked before, and what still works in other countries. Probation is a brand, and a good one, but it needs realignment, investment, and political will. Prison doesn’t work as a default response. It never has and it never will, unless it’s reserved for the most serious offences with genuinely long sentences. Reduce the prison population and you immediately increase access to proper rehabilitation.
Probation could be resourced and legislatively supported to do what it’s supposed to do: rehabilitation, resettlement, and access to services. Housing, benefits, employment, mental health, substance misuse, these should be part of the package, not an afterthought or referral into the ether. Strengthen support and aftercare, allow unpaid work to lead to vocational qualifications, let probation hostels teach real life skills. There’s even a role for electronic monitoring, just not at £700 million a time.
Imagine five well-run probation hostels in the area of every probation office instead of all those intended new prisons, it would be cheaper and far more effective. As said above, abolish recalls for all but the genuinely dangerous, and instead increase support for others through voluntary supervision, including for people on remand.
And yes, pay probation officers more, give them proper social-work-grounded training again, and bring back family-focused practice instead of endless “leadership” courses or academic qualifications like theose Cambridge Criminology MAs that add little to the frontline.
The solutions aren’t difficult. They’ve been sitting there for decades. But as long as the ideas continue to come from the same managers who already failed us, a revolving door of ministers, and a handful of carefully selected academics, nothing will change. The frontline knows what works. It’s time someone listened.
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It sounds good & is good in principle but how do we make it heard? How do we get someone to listen?Forty years ago I qualified and for forty years I've been shouting & arguing & fighting against the tide of shit & the hierarchy of policymaking. I've had my head above the parapet forever. I've submitted evidence to parliament, to my MP, to the press. I've stood on picket lines, I've travelled hundreds of miles to Westminster to meet my MP (who failed to show for our appointment & has never yet apologised). I've submitted comments - positive & negative - to this blog. I've leaked documents elsewhere. I've been threatened directly & indirectly by names you would not believe.
As far as I've been able to work it out, here's my take on it:
1. Policymakers are a unique teflon-coated species who wield most of the power as they slither between the various layers of parliamentary lowlife.
2. Advisors feed on lobbyists & are very responsive to the sound of big money.
3. Politicians only listen to what their advisors tell them as they're too busy earning a meagre crust elsewhere in the City.
4. Those in 'the centre' (for probation & prisons = HMPPS) don't want to hear anything other than the words of the politicians they protect & serve & manipulate).
5. The peripatetic/regional leadership isn't interested in hearing anything but the edicts coming from 'the centre'.
6. The frontline are exhausted, tired of being crushed, abused, lied to, shouted at & bullied. The frontline usually get it from all corners of the compass: (a) from management, (b) from those they supervise, (c) from colleagues & (d) from the media. There used to be a small canopy under which they could shelter but Napo has folded & now cosplays 'good cop' to the HMPPS 'bad cop'.
It might yet need a farage government & the nuclear fallout of such a terrifying event to raze the status quo to ground zero so we can start again.
--oo00oo--
Talking of hope, I note it's nearly time for this years BBC Reith Lectures:-
The Reith Lectures Rutger Bregman - Moral Revolution Episode 1 of 4
Rutger Bregman's 2025 Reith Lectures, called "Moral Revolution", explore the moral decay and un-seriousness of today's elites, drawing historical parallels to past eras of corruption that preceded transformative movements especially the 19th Century campaign to abolish slavery. In his series, he argues that small, committed groups can spark moral revolutions, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and long-term vision.
Bregman advocates for a new "realist utopia" in the face of rapid technological change, promoting ideas like Universal Basic Income, fairer taxation and responsible tech regulation. Finally, he zooms out to reflect on humanity’s strange historical trajectory, warning of the existential risks posed by unchecked AI and urging privileged individuals to take on an active role in shaping a better future.
1. A Time of Monsters - 25th November 09:00 Radio 4
Farage and Reform may appeal to those in probation who resist equality, but he has never been a supporter of the service. Probation doesn’t fit anywhere in his warped, enforcement-obsessed, tough-on-crime, Trump-inspired vision of mass deportation, mass incarceration and expanded policing.
ReplyDeleteI find the mood of today's society very similar to that of the mid 70s.
ReplyDeleteA messed up government, immigration discontent, right wing agencies on the march, flattened economy, public services in disarray and a very discontent workforce across the board.
Things did get better, so there must be hope now. There needs to be a reset of all and everything.
With that in mind, I reread the following blog peirce last night. I know it was published on here last year, but maybe it's worth a revisit?
'Getafix
https://revolving-doors.org.uk/time-for-a-change-in-the-narrative-for-probation-and-public-expectations/
ReplyDeleteSorry forgot to paste.
'Getafix
I'm not sure I did publish this - I can't find it and I wondered who the author was. Anyway, a taster:-
DeleteTime for a change in the narrative for probation and public expectations?
Few would disagree that we are in the midst of a criminal justice system crisis for England and Wales. Years of under-investment have come home to roost, with insufficient recognition of the interdependencies between the police, probation, prison, courts, Crown Prosecution Service and other essential services. Repair work is going to be complicated, but now is the time for a new government to rebuild a comprehensive, connected system fit for the future.
A shift in the rhetoric and public expectations of what can and cannot be achieved through community supervision will be essential. Public media coverage of probation practice is preoccupied with failure. This ranges from a surprise that probation practitioners do not have immediate access to accommodation for anyone being released homeless, to missed opportunities uncovered by serious further offence investigations, which report missed information sharing and swift enforcement opportunities.
It seems timely to ask: Are public expectations of what can be achieved through community supervision realistic and are recommendations being directed to the correct service/agency provider?
some more r4 listening, 'start the week' (on now but also on whatever things you can listen on):
DeleteHow can we reclaim the internet? Tom Sutcliffe and guests discuss the digital age - its supporters and discontents.
Tech critic Cory Doctorow introduces his new book Enshittification, a blistering diagnosis of how online platforms have decayed — from innovation to exploitation — and what we can do to make it better for ordinary users.
Novelist and broadcaster Naomi Alderman draws on history in Don’t Burn Anyone at the Stake Today, arguing that we’ve lived through information crises before, and that lessons from the invention of writing and the printing press can help us navigate today’s digital turbulence.
Journalist Oliver Moody, the author of Baltic: The Future of Europe, discusses Estonia’s radical embrace of digital governance, and what it reveals about the possibilities — and limits — of a truly connected state."
"Sentencing without rehabilitation means nothing."
Deletehttps://eastangliabylines.co.uk/politics/justice/probation-change-but-not-for-the-better/
'
Probation: change, but not for the better?
DeleteThe Probation Service, already stretched to breaking point, is now facing an unprecedented crisis – one that politicians and policymakers appear unwilling to confront. On 24 October, at the same time as HMP Chelmsford was mistakenly releasing Hedash Kebatu, a report into His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in England and Wales was released by the National Audit Office.
Titled “Building an Effective and Resilient Probation Service,” it lays bare the many issues facing the probation service and the consequences of years of neglect and political short-termism.
What is probation?
In recent years significant media and political attention have been focused on the overcrowding crisis in prisons. However, placing someone in prison is element within the justice process. Many people instead receive community sentences, which are meant to balance punishment with rehabilitation.
One element remains consistent: when a person leaves prison or receives a community sentence, the Probation Service aims to protect the public by managing any risks these offenders pose. Its officers also work to reduce the chances of reoffending by supporting rehabilitation in the community – an essential but often overlooked part of public safety. This helps the offender become a productive member of society and reduces the cost to the taxpayer caused by reoffending.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) estimates the social and economic cost of reoffending across adult offenders to be around £20.9 billion a year in 2025 prices. In that context, investment in a functioning probation service is not just a moral duty – it is an economic necessity.
A hidden crisis?
Since 2014, the MoJ and HMPPS have implemented two major reorganisations of the Probation Service.
In 2014, through its Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, the MoJ split the probation service into private sector-led Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the National Probation Service (NPS). In June 2021, HMPPS’s Probation Reform Programme unified the service, bringing probation fully back under public control.
But repeated restructures have left staff demoralised and systems unstable. What was intended as modernisation has, in practice, created confusion, high turnover and unsustainable caseloads.
In 2024 His Majesty’s Inspector of Probation (HMIP) carried out inspections of the Probation Services in East Anglia, focusing on each Probation Delivery Unit (PDU). It found that Suffolk, North Essex, South Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire ‘required improvement’ while Norfolk and Cambridgeshire fared worse, having been deemed ‘inadequate’. These findings underline how deep the problems now run.
What the National Audit Office found
DeleteThe National Audit Office report highlighted three major concerns. Firstly, that while HMPPS has increased its recruitment of probation staff, its internal analysis has indicated that it had significantly underestimated the tasks undertaken by its staff and the service had been operating with around half the staff needed for effective sentence management.
Secondly, HMPPS acknowledged that the Probation Service is currently unsustainable and that staffing levels have resulted in short-term corrective actions, including scaling back on some courses and other functions. Despite these emergency measures, workloads have remained crushingly high and morale dangerously low.
Lastly, to avoid running out of prison places, MoJ plans to implement legislative changes that will significantly increase demands on the Probation Service, most notably through the Independent Sentencing Review and the Sentencing Bill, which entered Parliament on 2 September and is expected to become law in early 2026.
The Independent Sentencing Review recommended that the MoJ makes greater use of alternatives to prison – a move that could further increase the already overwhelming workload on probation officers – while the Sentencing Bill offers major changes to offenders will be treated, from changes to community orders, new forms of restrictions on movements and potentially, allowing the ‘naming and shaming’ of those on community service.
Sentencing without rehabilitation means nothing
The purpose of probation is to protect the public. It does so by managing the risk of offenders committing further offences. That risk can be managed by either restrictions or support. The Probation Service cannot do that if it is undergoing constant change or it does not have the staff to do so.
The system now stands at breaking point: overworked officers, inconsistent training and political rhetoric that prizes punishment over prevention.
As politicians continue to flirt with the need to ‘be seen to be tough on crime’, perhaps they also need to be seen to be supportive of those who are trying to prevent someone from committing a crime again. Without urgent reform – and the political will to match it – the probation service cannot succeed and public safety will be the price we all pay.
I think I need to make clear I will be deleting any contributions that seek to be apologists for Trump or Farage.
ReplyDeleteI'm not attempting to point any defence of these players however you may well be adopting the ostrich approach. The country is in turmoil and ignoring the whole other side is probation has no place. If farage gets in democracy placed him there then what are you going to say. I'm not playing don't like the new team.
DeleteAnon 11:13 Yes it could be termed an ostrich approach. but it's the same philosophy as how I decided to deal with vaccine sceptics; Covid conspiracies; climate change denial; Israel and Gaza; boat people and asylam hotels - it's as much for my health and well being as anything. It's also a question of space and taking us away from the broad topic - and we do have a liberal policy on how broad discussions can be on here. But finally I know we could not have reasoned and measured discussion given the constant deliberately provocative and barely intelligible contributions from some quarters. As always, will keep things under review, but I felt the need to put a marker down because I've always refused to allow the platform to be hijacked.
DeleteFair points JB I'm sorry you allow the other approaches which demonise a bit strong maybe but allow the criticism . The fact is they are changing up the political normals for something we are not at all cohesive about as a nation.
DeleteRump and Rage get far too much air time as it is. They and their supporters are dangerous idiots. I am happy to hear more moderate views. Probation has traditionally been conservative with a small c and with a large influx of mainly middle class white female graduates it is likely to remain so. A typical probation officer in 2026 is likely to be a white female apolitical psychology graduate with a love of AI 🤖 and a suspicion of unions. No social work values and a preference for sitting in front of a laptop 💻 and posting pictures of themselves on social media. That’s the modern way.
DeleteFair dinkum JB. Happy if any of my posts are deleted should I slip into loonytoons mode. The free-form format works only if simple boundaries are respected. Keep up the good work, and thanks.
ReplyDeleteThose who cannot be named just want power although one has already climbed the mantle the wannabe in the shadow of mimick could well upturn politics. We cannot really measure the mood of the electorate until polls open . I doubt true blues will stay away or the reds from their home teams and the contender will have to find an alternate disruptor to harp on. The danger is how much damage is being done now up to that point and labour have neither delivered on its boats pledge and has engaged on taxes albeit revised. JB is right though this debate should be about the local needs nationally of probation. I did read a point on here though which will force probation to seek some places under any new government and indeed the current. Our problem is we have no unions to assure any process favours probation. We need the old voice and skills of harry fletcher back sadly passed.
ReplyDeleteI Disagree with your stance on Trump and Farage. Pretending they do not exist or denying what effect their political objectives may have on society is part of the problem. Politics is becoming more polarised between left and right. Everyone needs to work together to find the middle ground to ensure a fair society which acknowledges everyone. The bbc has recently fallen foul of impartiality to seek political ideologies. I will stop contributing and reading this blog if it starts happening here
ReplyDeleteI don't name them now as it'll get deleted and your right but the editor holds some direction here that cannot be changed. The USA direction is where the UK is closely aligned by the other guy.
DeleteMs Mahmood is going up and down in my view. Shocking unnecessary use of the F word and followed by the P word in debate. Daughter herself of illegal immigrants she has taken advantage of all this country has to offer. Now privileged on the social gravy train benefiting no doubt from over extended equalities agenda she is in the big chair. Now talking tough on immigration cutting a ces to this country to others. She gave a good sounding at the despatch box playing off badenoch clearly the race card has no room with this debate. So who is being clever here playing out the use of an Asian face to evict and bar others who are seeking her parents route to success. Or an antidote to badenoch another immigration beneficiary pulling up the ladder. Mahmood is no fool though she is using accusatory language when the split in this country is bigger than the far right now. I think she is going to surprise people .
ReplyDelete